The Magic of Deductions
by Tessa Malfoy the unknown twin
Summary: In this AU, Sherlock attends Hogwarts, and shakes things up as he makes a few unexpected friends. Read and Review, can't make a good summary without spoiling the story later in!
1. Chapter 1

AN: HEY-O Guys! I know... I Know... I'm the worst human ever. You don't have to tell me. I'm starting a new story, and I never finished my old ones... Dx Go ahead an hate me. And please, enjoy my story!

Disclaimer: Well... I'm not very wealthy, and most definitely NOT British(no matter how much I wish I was) so, I don't own either Sherlock, or Harry Potter. T_T

Word Count: 1742 Words approximately

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><p>The silhouette of a young man was cast on the dark window in the top bedroom of a house in a small country town in England. The boy in the window sat in the same place every day. Where else would he go? The mundane world outside bored him, and he found that it gave him time to organize his thoughts when he stared out the window, watching cloud shapes shift and form as he thought about different things. What he didn't realize is that the clouds changing didn't cause his thoughts to shift. His changing thoughts caused the shapes in the clouds to change.<p>

The boy's parents peered in the room at him, he was only just eleven, but he already showed so much promise. Of course, the older of their children like to make the boy out to seem like an imbecile, which was hardly true. The two shared a look, obviously mentally arguing over who was going to go into the room to talk to the young male.

His mother sighed, and stepped into the room. "Sherlock, sweetie. It's about time we talked about what you're going to do come September." She said, walking over to him holding three envelopes. "You can either go to school where Mikey went, or you can go to one of the other schools. But you need to choose one, so that we can take you to get your school supplies."

Silvery-blue eyes turned on their mother, a bored look on the pre-teen's face. "I will go to Hogwarts, Mother."

"Now Sherlock are you s-"

"Yes Mother. I hardly want to go to school at Durmstrang. And I cannot see myself in that insufferable blue color of those uniforms for the next seven years." He said softly, looking back out the window.

"Oh good! Then open this, and we can go buy your school supplies soon!" His mother said, dropping the letter in her son's lap, secretly happy he hadn't chosen Durmstrang like her oldest had, or Beauxbatons, because she too could not see him in those powder blue uniforms.

After the boy's mother had left the room, he looked down at the letter, thin fingers wrapping around it, and he lifted it to his face, looking at his name in the fancy scrawl. He sighed and turned the letter over, breaking the red wax seal, the school crest ingraining itself in his mind.

He withdrew the letter from the envelope, and looked down at it.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL __of__ WITCHCRAFT __and__ WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
>Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)<em>

_Dear Mr. Holmes,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

He put that letter to the side, sure that his parents had already gone about sending out the owl, as the deadline was the next day.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL __of __WITCHCRAFT __and__ WIZARDRY_

_UNIFORM_

_First-year students will require:_

_1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

_2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

_3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags._

_COURSE BOOKS_

_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)_

By Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic_

_By Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory_

_By Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_

_By Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_

_By Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions_

_By Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_

_By Newt Scamander_

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_

_By Quentin Trimble_

_OTHER EQUIPMENT_

_1 wand_

_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_1 set glass or crystal phials_

_1 telescope_

_1 set brass scales_

_Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad._

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS_

_ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK_

The male set aside the letter, and stood up, walking to his door, and opened it. He gave his brother an unamused look as he walked down the stairs, and towards the kitchen.

"So, you're off to Hogwarts Sherlock?" His brother asked, following him into the room. The ten year old ignored his brother, and opened a cupboard, and riffled around, looking for something to eat as a snack.

"Probably a good thing, little brother. You wouldn't last a day at Durmstrang. At least in Hogwarts, you may not seem like such an imbecile." He said, snorting, and picking up an apple, eyeing the cake his mother had made for dessert after dinner that night hungrily.

Without looking at his brother, the adolescent spoke softly. "Careful Mikey. Too much cake and you will never be rid of all that baby fat. Then again, you needed the added insolation off at that school, didn't you?" He asked, closing the cupboard, and going back towards his room. His brother glared at his back as he walked out of the room.

(Time Skip)

A week later found the Holmes family walking through Diagon Alley, going over the supply list for the younger of the two boys.

"Okay Mikey, you go with your dad. You two are going to get the books your brother needs for this year." Mrs. Holmes said, prompting an unamused look from her eldest, and he broke away from his mother and brother, leading his father towards Flourish and Blotts, to pick up the needed books.

"Alright Sherlock, lets head to Madame Malkin's go get you fitted for your robes."

The boy nodded, and followed his mother to the store, quietly observing everyone that passed, filling away all of the information for his future use.

As they entered the store, Madame Malkin smiled at the two, and walked over. "Hello, school robes?" She asked.

"Yes, ma'am! Hogwarts." Sherlock's mother told her. The woman smiled kindly, and nodded.

"Right this way, we'll get you measured right away." She said, pulling out her tape measure. "Just the plain school robes?" She asked, bringing a couple of different colored robes over.

"Yes. I hardly doubt I will be in much need of green or blue school robes." He said, glaring at the aforementioned colored robes like they had offended him. He was not a fan of color.

The woman looked a little put-off, but with a wave of her wand, she sent the non-black robes off to their places in the store. Her tape measure set to work, taking all of his measurements, and she began to pull out robes that could possibly work.

Once all of his measurements had been taken, Malkin had sent all but three robes back to their places in the shop. She handed him one of the robes to put on, and once it was in place, she began to pin the robes and fit them to his form. Once that was done, she helped him out of the clothes, and smiled. "Your robes will be done in a couple of hours. Do you want to come back to pick them up? Or do you want to set it up to be delivered?" She asked Sherlock's mother.

"We will pick them up when they are finished." She told the woman. Sherlock looked at the seamstress, and nodded at her, before following his mother out of the store.

Next the two went to Ollivander's wand shop. Sherlock had walked passed the store many times, and had looked in through the window, however he had never been in the store.

As he and his mother entered the wandmaker's shop, Sherlock's senses went into overdrive as he tried to take in the sheer amount of wands within the store. His brain took notice of everything, from the dingy chair- that looked like it would collapse even under his low weight—to the many boxes that Sherlock knew each held a wand, each one unique and different from the other. Sherlock had spent the last week reading and absorbing everything he could about wands, in order to mentally prepare himself for getting his wand.

Ollivander came shuffling out of the back of the shop, holding a box that seemed to be vibrating with energy. "Hello Mr. Ollivander. This is my son, Sherlock."

The old man looked down at Sherlock. "So, you're starting school?" He asked, setting the box down and opening it. The boy nodded absently as he looked down at the wand in the box. He felt himself drawn to the wand.

It was a light greenish/brown color, and looked less like wood, and more like… "It's vine? I did not think that you made wands out of that. It's an uncommon wand material." Sherlock muttered, reaching out, and wrapping his fingers around the handle, which felt almost like leaves. A warmth spread up his arm as the wand recognized its owner.

"Vine, with a Phoenix feather core. Ten and two third inches. Relatively flexible. It's one of a kind, certainly. One of the few Vine wands I keep in stock. I am assuming that you researched wand types and cores before you came in?" Mr. Ollivander asked the young wizard, who was looking at his wand with an odd look.

"Yes, I did not want to be taken by surprise when my wand was chosen. However, I found very little on Vine wands in my reading." Sherlock said.

"Yes, I would imagine that you wouldn't. It is not a commonly used material. Perhaps you should look more into it in the Hogwarts library, once you have gotten to school. Or I can send you all the information I have, if you're honestly that interested." Ollivander said, clearly seeing some sort of potential in the young Holmes boy.

The boy nodded, and looked up at Ollivander. "I would greatly appreciate that. Any knowledge could be of great help. Thank you." He said. His mother paid for the boy's wand, and the two left the shop, going off to pick up the rest of the supplies that the young boy needed to get for his schooling.

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><p>Thanks for reading guys! I hope you enjoyed! ^.^<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Okay guys, this is chapter two. I wanted to put up the first 2 chapters today, but I am going to try to post a new chapter every week, or every other. I waited until I was ahead by a bit before I posted, so just incase I don't have time to write one day, I still have something to update!

Disclaimer: Yeah... Still not rich, or British Dx so I still don't own either Universe, I just own a lot of Doctor Who stuff, and the plotline!

Word Count: 1135 words

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><p>The date had quickly reached September 1st, and Sherlock had hardly left his room since an owl had delivered a letter from one Mr. Garrick Ollivander the day after his visit to Diagon Alley.<p>

_Dear Mr. Holmes,_

_I found it very refreshing that you had seemed so very interested in how your wand came to be. Many Wizards are no longer interested in what their wand can do for them, only in what power it can bring them. Enclosed, you will find a copy of my notes on wands made from Vine. _

_Should you require any more information on the art of wand making, please feel free to send me an owl at any point within the year, and if I am able, I will answer your questions. _

_Sincerely, _

_Garrick Ollivander_

_The druids considered anything with a woody stem as a tree, and vine makes wands of such a special nature that I have been happy to continue their ancient tradition. Vine wands are among the less common types, and I have been intrigued to notice that their owners are nearly always those witches or wizards who seek a greater purpose, who have a vision beyond the ordinary and who frequently astound those who think they know them best. Vine wands seem strongly attracted by personalities with hidden depths, and I have found them more sensitive than any other when it comes to instantly detecting a prospective match. Reliable sources claim that these wands can emit magical effects upon the mere entrance into their room of a suitable owner, and I have twice observed this phenomenon within my own shop. _

The boy had been very interested in what this could mean about himself. He had spent several days within his mind, reflecting on the words, and on what he knew of himself to this point. Of course, an eleven year old boy couldn't be expected to know everything about them. But Sherlock ached to know more. He _needed_ the knowledge. Because, without it, he felt as though he was lacking a crucial piece of himself, his very being, yet, he had no clue what that piece was.

He sighed, and placed the letter within one of his school books that he had skimmed, Bathilda Bagshot's _A History of Magic_. He tossed the book into his schoolbag, which had been magically expanded to hold all of his extra reading materials, as well as his school books, and his ink and quills. It had been a present from his parents for his ninth birthday, when he had complained that Mycroft had a special bag. His brother had tried to point out that he was in school, whereas Sherlock was not yet.

The adolescent stood, and grabbed his trunk, bringing it out of his room, and down the stairs, setting it by the door before entering the kitchen for breakfast before his parents brought him to King's Cross Station to catch the Hogwarts Express.

"Oh! Sherlock! I was just about to come get you. Sit, sit. Eat something before we go. It's going to be a long ride, and you don't want to spend all your money on the candy trolley." She said, placing a plate before her son.

When they reached the station, having apparated directly onto the platform, Sherlock's father helped his son get his trunk onto the train, before giving him a quick hug. His mother hugged him tightly, and kissed the top of his head. "Oh, do behave Sherlock! And don't argue with teachers. We got enough complaints about Mikey, we don't need to get them about you too!" She said. Sherlock nodded, and left his parents on the platform, going to a compartment further back in the train, and heaving his trunk up into the rack. He pulled out a book, ready to read for the whole ride.

"Excuse me. Do you mind if I sit here?" A young boy asked. Sherlock's silvery-blue eyes looked up to meet a pleasant shade of hazel, and some sort of shiver went through the other boy as Sherlock examined him, without answering. "Um… Never mind, I'll find somewhere else." He muttered, preparing to leave when Sherlock finally spoke.

"No, go right ahead and take a seat." He said, before opening his book, _Merpeople: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Language and Customs _by Dylan Marwood. The young male was very interested in other magical creatures, and spent much of his free time researching the different races. He especially liked to read about the Merpeople and Veela.

The boy sat quietly, and looked at Sherlock curiously. "I'm John Watson. What's your name?" He asked.

The dark haired boy looked up once more. "Sherlock Holmes." He responded, his voice never rising above an almost whisper.

John Watson was an interesting character from what Sherlock could see. He was wearing muggle clothing, which led Sherlock to believe that he had gotten on the train from London, instead of apparating into the station. This led the male to believe that John was not originally from the Wizarding world. Not that that mattered much to Sherlock. He also had a very short haircut, and the slightest sprinkling of hair that had stuck to the boy's sweater led the dark haired male to believe that he had had it cut this morning in preparation for the train. There was a faint smudge of something pinkish. If Sherlock had to guess, it was probably lipstick from a kiss from the male's mother as she said goodbye that morning.

"Are you a first year too?" John asked softly, looking at the book Sherlock was reading, wondering what kind of class would assign it. Would he need to read that book?

"Yes." He muttered, looking back down at his book. "This is just reading for fun. I find reading a soothing way to pass time. That and the violin. But I have not yet completely mastered that." He spoke, not sure why he was telling the other that. Maybe it was the soothing presence the other gave off.

John's eyes widened. "You play the violin?" He asked.

"Yes. Mostly when I am thinking." He told the other, not mentioning that he could only play at home, as he did not own his own violin, and had to borrow one from a neighbor, who he had seen playing one day and decided he too wanted to learn.

"That sounds… Soothing." John said.

"Only if you like violin." Sherlock said without looking up, which caused John to snort. Which in turn caused Sherlock to chuckle, and in a moment both boys were laughing. It was weird to Sherlock, to be laughing. Because he had never had a friend before, and he was pretty sure that that was what this John Watson was going to become.

His first friend.

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><p>Thanks for reading 3 I hope you guys are enjoying! ^.^ Please, feel free to review!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! Here's the new chapter! I am going to try to updating every week! That's my goal at least! I hope you all are enjoying! I apologize for any grammar or spelling errors! I Do not have a beta reader, and I am just relying on my computer's spell check.

Disclaimer: T_T Nope. I put on my tie and grabbed my wand, and waved it until the ministry of magic sent me a letter telling me to stop using magic in a muggle area and reminding me that I am not J.K Rowling. Nor am I Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or Moffat... Sooooo, I don't own Harry Potter. Or Sherlock. *Sigh* Maybe next week?

Word Count: About 1356 Words

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><p>The Hogwarts Express had left the station about an hour before, and the two young boys, one with straw-colored hair, the other with dark locks, had lapsed into a very comfortable silence, the only sounds in the compartment came from the two boys flipping a page in a book.<p>

Not too long after the train had begun moving, John had pulled out one of his school books, and opened it, wanting to at least know a bit of information before their classes started. Thankfully, as it was a Friday, they had a full weekend to prepare for classes. John was reading _Magical Drafts and Potions_ and had a very perplexed look on his face, his head cocked to one side.

"Why would anyone want to swallow a stone taken from the stomach of a goat?" He mumbled under his breath.

"Would you rather die from a poison John? Besides, they are generally an ingredient in Antidotes, not the entirety of one." Sherlock voiced, without looking up.

"No! Of course not, I understand the point behind using a Bezoar, but what makes them so special? Why are they so beneficial to antidote making?" He asked, hardly shocked that Sherlock had known what he had meant. Just being in his presence, John had realized Sherlock exuded a level of intelligence beyond that of a normal first-year, and it rather irritated the young male.

"Well, a Bezoar is nothing more than a goat's equivalent of a hairball. I would assume that there is something special about the process in which those undigested pieces of matter solidify that gives them the ability to break down toxins. Perhaps it is some enzyme or chemical found within a goat's stomach that is unique to them?" He said.

Speaking of which… Sherlock now had the perfect idea about what he would be spending his Christmas break doing. He nodded to himself, and filed that away into a box within the house he had organized his mind into, and labelled the box, "Christmas 1989". (A.N. Yes yes, I know. You're all thinking WHERE'S THE MIND PALACE? Don't worry guys. The house is only temporary. Why would an 11-year-old Sherlock already have a palace within his thoughts?)

"You're right… Show off…" John mumbled the second part under his breath. Oddly, instead of looking insulted, Sherlock looked slightly pleased, as though John had complimented him. Which, in a way he had. Sherlock had never been told he was right, or called a show off. Every time he said something back home his brother just told him how wrong he was, and proved what an idiot Sherlock was. It was shocking that John did not think him to be an idiot like his brother did.

Instead of responding, Sherlock turned the page of his book, and continued to read, though he kept an eye on John in his peripheral vision. John didn't seem to mind that Sherlock had lapsed into silence, and went back to reading and trying to commit to memory as much about potions as he could, just in case. He had heard an older year mumbling about how mean the potion's professor was when he was buying his books. He was hoping it was an exaggeration. No professor could be that mean to their students, surely. He sighed, and turned the page, looking over the list of ingredients that made up a forgetfulness potion. How was anyone supposed to remember all of those? Just asking someone to make one could cause them to forget everything they ever knew while they tried desperately to recall the ingredients. It was ironic really. John wondered how it was even discovered. How did the person who patented the potion remember that he made it, or even what went in it if he had tested it on himself? Potions were just too confusing. John was sure he was not going to have much fun in the course, and resolved to do his best, without going crazy from it.

The door to the compartment slid open, and a girl with blond hair that changed to a deep red color at the tips that reached her waist, an odd violet hue to her eyes, and who was, much like Sherlock, already dressed in her school robes, stood before the boys. "Do you mind eef I seet here? Zee last compartment had a couple of eedeotz een et." She mumbled, in a very thick French accent that sent curiosity zooming through Sherlock's veins. Why would this girl come to Hogwarts when she could have gone to Beauxbaton's back in her home country?

"Of course, feel free to sit. I am John Watson, and that's Sherlock Holmes." John spoke. The girl gave the boys a bright smile, and took a seat delicately, with a grace that seemed almost inhuman.

"I am Gemina Lizette Etoile. Eet ez nice to meet you." She said.

Sherlock, who was looking at her curiously, spoke. "You're part Veela, aren't you?" He asked bluntly.

The girl blushed, and looked at him. "'Ow did you know?" She asked.

"Oh, I doubt anyone who is not familiar with the signs would notice. But your hair has this odd sheen to it, not to mention the natural second color, which is something I read many Hybrid Veela have. Your eyes are an odd violet hue, which would be hardly a tell, but only one pureblood-line in the Wizarding world carries the color, but I once read it is only exhibited with creature blood. Also, Veela generally have uniquely colored eyes. Paired with the fact that you are obviously from France, where many Veela come from, it was an easy deduction." He said, leaving the two momentarily speechless.

"'Ow do you know all zat?" She asked softly, her posture stiffening.

"I read a lot about magical creatures, especially Veela, and my parents once had a book on pureblood families in our home. I read it, curious about the many families that make up our culture." He said, as though it were the obvious answer.

Gemina looked at him with narrowed eyes. "You will not tell anyone about these, will you?" She asked, though it did not sound like a question.

"Of course not. It hardly needs to be public knowledge." He said, and at that moment an unspoken agreement passed between Sherlock Holmes, and this young French girl with a secret she did not want told.

And then of course, there was John Watson, who had realized something was going on, but still looked confused as his gaze flicked between the two who sat, eyes locked, as though in battle to see who would look away first.

Finally, Sherlock just shrugged, and looked back down at his book, and continued to read up on merfolk, wondering how long it would take him to master mermish.

A woman stopped outside the compartment, and opened the door. "Anything from the trolley dearies?" She asked, smiling at the three.

"No thanks." Sherlock responded without looking up.

Gemina stood, and walked over. "Could I have two Pumpken Pasteez and three chocolate frogz?" She asked, handing the woman two galleons and taking her treats.

John looked at the cart, and all the odd brands. "Er, I will take some of the beans. And a licorice wand I suppose. The chocolate frogs… What are those?" He asked, causing both Gemina and Sherlock to look up.

"Seriously? You must be a muggleborn, no?" She asked.

"Yes..?" He said insecurely.

"A chocolate frog ez a cream filled enchanted piece of chocolate. You eat eet quickly, or you lose eet." She told him. "Zey are good." She promised.

"Okay, I'll take a couple of those too then." John told her, a little embarrassed by his lack of knowledge, even though this was only his second real exposure to the Wizarding world.

He handed the woman money, and sat back down, opening one of the frogs, and grabbing it swiftly as it tried to jump away. He bit into it, and his eyes widened at the flavor, as it was like nothing he had tried before.

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><p>Thank you for reading guys! Please read and review! See you all next week! ^.^<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! Here's this week's chapter! ^.^ I am glad that you all are enjoying it. And it seems I have acquired a regular reviewer! Thank you CrazyFM for reviewing more than once, and giving me some actual feedback! You're awesome! And as far as sorting, its going to be in this chapter, for all of those who are curious about the sorting!

Disclaimer: Hmmm... Well, I consulted with one of my other really nerdy friends. And we realized something.. I own none of the recognizable characters or text within this story. All background on the school, and the teachers, and much of the information was taken from Pottermore or the Harry Potter Wiki. In the coming chapter there will be some information on wands that I came up with, and I will put a mark where the information came from me. Other than that, anything that seems very familiar, probably came from a Harry Potter book, or database. Also, there are a couple of ideas from a story I am reading right now, and I like some of the ideas from the story, and I may take an idea or two from that, but I will email the author before I do that and get their permission, and give them credit where credit is due if that day comes to pass.

Word Count: 1591

Okay, I'm done rambling! Enjoy the story guys! 3

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><p>By the time that the train arrived at Hogsmead station, the three had formed an easy bond, and had sat in relative silence, each choosing their own book, or in Gemina's case letters, to read. Sherlock had of course been watching the other two over the top of his book as he read about the merfolk. He was certain that whatever secret Gemina was hiding was within the many letters she had pulled from a pouch tucked under her robe. She hardly looked amused as she read them.<p>

As the train stopped, she stood, and put away her letters. The others tucked away their reading as well, and John straightened the robes he had put on, that felt quite odd to be wearing. She looked at them, and nodded, before opening the compartment door, and leading the way off the train.

A loud voice boomed over the crowd, calling all first years to it. The three walked over there, dumbstruck at the sight of the large man, possibly the largest man they had ever seen.

"That's Hagrid-"

"-the grounds keeper." Said a set of voices, causing Gemina to flinch slightly as a pair of identical redheads appeared beside the trio.

"Our brother Percy says that he's nice enough. If a bit weird." One said.

"We're Fred and George Weasley." The other added.

Sherlock looked at them for a moment, silently calculating them. "Right. I'm Sherlock Holmes." He said.

"John Watson." John added. The twins smiled identically at the two.

"Pleasure." They said simultaneously.

Once all of the first years had gathered around Hagrid, he led them off to a group of boats at the edge of a lake that everyone marveled at.

"Ze Great Lake, yes?" Gemina asked, recalling what she had read about Hogwarts.

"You know, most people refer to it as the Black Lake. Because it's impossible to see into its depths!" One of the twins said.

"Yeah! Our brother Charlie says that not even Dumbledore knows every last creature that lives within the lake." The other added, the two climbing into a boat after Sherlock, John and Gemina.

She sighed, knowing there would be no getting rid of them, at least for now. She was hardly in the mood to listen to the annoying twins, but she had no choice. Sherlock looked mildly amused, listening to the twins as they rattle on about what their brothers had told them about Hogwarts, filing everything away as information that could potentially prove helpful.

"Whoa…" John muttered, and the other four all looked to where his gaze had wandered. Their first view of Hogwarts was from the lake, ass per tradition. Each one of them sat, struck silent as the sight of the many candlelit rooms in the castle lit up the light, and cast a gorgeous reflection on the lake, each first year sitting silently, barely registering what Hagrid was saying to them as they stared at the many towers that adorned the castle. And of course, they all tried to get a look around, trying to get a feel for the place that would become their second home for the next seven years.

The boats abruptly stopped, and the students disembarked, many wondering aloud about the sorting ceremony.

"Right. Stay here. A teacher will be in shortly to get you." Hagrid said, leaving the students in the Entrance Hall, rounding a corner, to take the back entrance into the Great Hall.

"Welcome…" A voice began a talk that hushed the students, but no one was paying close attention to what the professor was saying, except for maybe Sherlock. Once the voice, which had belonged to a severe looking older woman, in deep green robes- whom the twins informed the other three was Professor McGonagall, the transfiguration professor—had finished the speech that she had seemed to give every year, she lead them into the Great Hall, the doors swinging open of their own accord, and the students hushing.

Sherlock was at a loss. Never before had he seen so much magic in one place. Sure, he came from a pureblood family, but they did not use much magic at home, as his parents had wanted their sons to have a knowledge of how other people had to deal. In the back of his head, he heard his brother muttering that his parents had sworn off performing magic of any kind after the war with Voldemort, many pureblood families that had remained neutral doing the same, and fading into the background, in an effort to stay away from the backlash from either side for not choosing.

The thousands of candles that floated in the Hall were beautiful, and each had an aura of magic around it that screamed of an ancient power and the ceiling… It hurt Sherlock to even stare at it.

"Do you all see the magic?" Gemina muttered softly, looking around in awe. Of course she too could see it, Sherlock thought. He faintly remembered somewhere reading that many Veela, and their offspring, could see magical signatures and aura to an extent, varying from the power of the child. Oh what a fantastic gift to have naturally. Sherlock had forced himself to learn, because he did not want to be outshone by his brother, who insisted he could see them at the age of eight, and _how ordinary_ Sherlock must be for not being able to see them.

The first years all stopped in front of the head table, and a ratty old hat, preparing for the sorting.

After a long song that had many students thoroughly enthralled, Professor McGonagall called up the first student to be sorted.

After a while, "Etoile, Gemina" was called, and the girl smiled at the others, and slowly made her way through the group, and sat down on the stool, having the hat put on her head. It immediately drooped over her eyes, though the girl found it almost relieving, not having to see the many faces watching her curiously.

"_Etoile huh? You know, I can see it in your head. The name of your father." _The voice of the hat spoke in her head.

"'E_ is 'ardly relevant in zis matter." _Was her mental response.

"_Oh, I disagree. His influence is everything. Your genetics scream of where you should be placed. And yet… Your mind screams something entirely different." _

"Z_en pick what my mind screams. I do not wish to 'ave my education 'indered based off my genetics." _Her clipped response resounded, her body stiff on the stool.

"_Now that definitely sealed it. It's obvious where you belong. Yes… It's all here. You'll be brilliant someday. And to help you towards that… _**RAVENCLAW!**" The voice of the hat screamed, leading to the table clad in blue and bronze clapping politely, many seizing up their new addition.

The girl who was sorted right after Gemina became the newest Gryffindor, and then a Hufflepuff was placed. Then, "Holmes, Sherlock" was called, and the young man made his way up to the stool, sitting down, and keeping a formal, yet relaxed posture as the hat was sat upon his head.

"_Oh my. Yours is a mind like I have never seen, young Mr. Holmes. So unique." _The hat said, and Sherlock could feel the hat looking through the many boxes, and rooms of the house. He resisted the urge to lock the Hat outside of the house, knowing that the object needed access, and granting it this one time.

"_Hm, natural occlumency? My my... You are full of surprises. With your knowledge, Ravenclaw would suit you quite well. And yet, no. I think not. For certain, you will do better in _**SLYTHERIN!**" The hat announced, and the table in green and silver clapped louder than the others, which were filled with a smattering of applause. John shot Sherlock an encouraging smile from the crowd of students that still needed to be sorted, and Gemina one from the Ravenclaw table as he passed it.

Several more students were sorted, and placed and Sherlock was quickly losing interest. That was, until "Watson, John" was called up from the few students left. Sherlock watched as the boy walked slowly up, and sat down, seemingly holding his breath.

In actuality, John was holding his breath. He was still convinced that he wouldn't actually be sorted. Listening to what the twins had been muttering to him about all the houses while they waited… Well, none really seemed to fit the eleven year old. And what happened if he couldn't be sorted. Would he be sent somewhere else? Or would a teacher take pity on him, and take him into their house.

"_There's no need to worry Mr. Watson. I have yet to be wrong yet. And I see a lot of potential in you. Two places stick out for you. But knowing what I do, and seeing what I have in your head, the opinions I see you have already formed about some of your fellow students. Seeing what I do, I know that you belong with _**HUFFLEPUFF!**" John let out a sigh of relief, and silently thanked the hat, taking it off, and walking over to the table, smiling at Gemina and Sherlock on his way there.

Both "Weasley, Fred" and "Weasley, George" were placed into Gryffindor house. As the final student was placed, Dumbledore stood, and gave his pre-feast welcome to the students, and then the food appeared, and as they dug in, five students couldn't help but wonder how this year would turn out.

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><p>Thanks for reading guys! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review, and the next chapter will be up next week!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Hey Guys! I'm feeling really generous, so I'm giving y'all an early update. I am not sure yet if I will be putting up my normal Thursday/Friday update this week. I am a bit swamped with school work, and using the posting of this to distract myself! So I hope you all find it enjoyable!

I wanna thank everyone who reviewed so far, I really appreciate all the wonderful feedback! 3 Just a note to two reviewers who really took the time to give feedback.

CrazyFM: I'm glad you find her interesting! I was originally going to go another way with the character, but decided against it. There's a slight glimpse into one secret she may be hiding within this chapter, but I don't intend to confirm anything for a few chapters to come! :3 Though it might be possible to spot a few of her secrets and guess them correctly after this chapter.

Chocolatechesecakes: I am glad that you agreed with John's sorting. But as far as Sherlock is concerned, I think that Slytherin is and always be the best choice, because even though he is extremely smart, it is not his brains that drive him towards his goals, which is why I chose to put him where I did.

To everyone that is wondering about main characters being in each house, yes, there is a reason for it, though it has less to do with inter-house unity than you may think. The reasoning for that will be revealed later in the story. And just a heads up, at chapter 11, there is will be a very large time jump, but chapter 10 is going to serve as an overview for everything you may need to know moving on later in the story. It will overview a lot of character development. Just a warning, Sherlock is going to be a little OOC, as he was raised a pureblood, but he is very interested in Science, and Magic. But then, I suppose as we never do see what teenaged Sherlock is like, so I guess my depiction could be cannon.

Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable characters, from either universe, unfortunately... *Sobs quietly* The book titles later in the chapter are all ones that I came up with, but if the names were used elsewhere, please let me know, I would hate to have unwillingly stolen something from a story I may have previously read. All of the information on Rowan Wands within this chapter was taken from the Harry Potter Wiki website, and may have been tweaked slightly for my purposes.

Word Count: Roughly 2552 words

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><p>The next morning dawned brightly in all parts of Hogwarts, except for the dungeons in which the Slytherin's resided. That did not, however, stop young Sherlock Holmes from being up and out of bed, dressed in his uniform, leaving off the robe. He took a moment to appreciate the house crest that must have been magically added to his robes while he slept. Slytherin would be his new home, and he was fine with that.<p>

He made his way to the Great Hall, having learned the path between his common room and the Hall instinctively the night before as the house prefects had led the first years to their dorms. He entered the hall, and looked around, noticing that John was sitting at the Hufflepuff table alone. He went over, deciding that he should at least greet the other male before having breakfast.

"Hello John." He said, causing the boy to turn, and give the male a hesitant smile.

"Hi Sherlock." He said, as though he wasn't sure if he should be talking to him.

"Good morning you two. 'Ow did you sleep?" Gemina asked, walking over to them, and smiling brightly, her hair pulled into a braid, the Ravenclaw tie tied loosely around her neck. "I wonder what 'appens if a student does not know 'ow to do 'iz tie." She said curiously.

"I am sure there is a spell that will do it for them." John said.

"Well actually, students can buy…" Sherlock started, before John cut him off.

"Of course you would know!" He said teasingly, a little smile on his face.

"'Ey, what do you boys say we explore a little later? Before classes come Monday?" Gemina asked. The two boys shared a look, and then nodded.

"Sounds good!"

"We'd love to join!" The Weasley Twins said from behind her, causing her to twitch slightly. She hadn't intended to invite them. She sighed, and nodded, knowing she couldn't tell them they weren't welcome.

"Right. So after breakfast then?" Sherlock asked, not exactly looking forward to being in a group that large, but it could potentially distract him from the shine of the magic everywhere in the castle. Plus, he had learned a bit from the twins yesterday, even if they had an infuriating way of communicating.

The five broke off, and went to their own tables, sitting down, and choosing different foods for breakfast. As the morning post came in, a large regal eagle owl dropped a letter in front of Gemina, and a smaller barn owl dropped one off for Sherlock, that owl choosing to stay, and accept a small treat, as though the two were familiar with each other.

Gemina opened her letter first, scanning the contents, and scowling at one point, before letting out a small snort. She shook her head, and stuffed it into the pouch with the letters she had read on the train.

Sherlock opened the letter, knowing that it was from Mr. Olivander, who had become a regular correspondent of the young male as of late, as Sherlock had taken to learning more and more about wands. The letter was a list of books that may help Sherlock learn more on core materials and wand woods that Garrick himself did not use often within his shop. Sherlock simply nodded, and scribbled a quick thank you note to the wand maker, handing it to the owl.

Breakfast passed quickly for the five, and they had soon met up in the Entrance Hall, looking as though they didn't know where to begin.

"Perhaps we should start from the bottom and work our way up? That would most likely be the best course of action if we want to find everything." Sherlock suggest, and the others all nodded, so Sherlock led the way to the dungeons, where they spent several minutes locating the potions classroom, and Sherlock said nothing as they walked past the entrance to the Slytherin common room, because people weren't supposed to know where exactly it was located.

Next they located the kitchens, and John showed them how to get in, telling them that one of the prefects had told him the night before, because it was right by the Hufflepuff common room, and sometimes people would go get snacks for the others in the house that were studying, or maybe that had a bad day.

Both Gemina and Sherlock had to resist the urge to roll their eyes at that. A whole bunch of sentimental sods, them. _Honestly_, people needed to be independent, not co-dependent. The twins however, were very interested in the kitchens, and planned to return later to go in, and find out how much food they could get away with asking for.

The hours passed quickly, as the group grew to learn more about each other—for example, the twins had five siblings, could you believe that? FIVE! And never, _ever_ call Gemina Gem. She hated that, and Georges ears were still ringing from that mistake—and they learned their way around the school, where each tower was, and were the classrooms that they would have to find in a couple of days were located.

Their wandering ended at the library, where the twins announced that they had… things to do, and took off, whispering conspiratorially to each other. Sherlock announced he was going to go in, and get a few books, and Gemina nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I actually 'ave a book zat I need to get myself. John? Come with us?" She asked, and the male nodded, and wandered into the biggest library he had ever seen!

"Whoa…" He muttered, looking around. Sherlock looked as though Christmas had come early for him, and Gemina was intrigued by the number of books. The group went up to the librarian's desk, and smiled politely.

"What?" She asked, looking down at them, suspicious of any student who would come in before the term had even started.

"'Ello madame. I was wondering eef you 'ave any books on pureblood family trees and traditions?" Gemina asked politely. Madame Pince narrowed her eyes, and nodded, scribbling down where the girl could find them, and handing the slip of parchment to her. She gave the woman a dazzling smile, and took off through the shelves looking for the books.

"Do you have _The Art of Wand-Crafting, Wand Woods: From Ash to Yew, Magical Cores and Their Properties, _and _Why Wizards Use Wands_?" Sherlock asked, looking down at the letter he had received that morning, even though he had memorized the titles of the books he had been pointed towards.

The librarian gave the boy a skeptical look, but waved her wand, summoning the books from their various places throughout the library.

"Why didn't you do that for Gemina?" John asked, curiously.

"Because, those books are nearby, not way in the back of the library. Look, she is back already." The woman responded, nodding towards the French girl who came striding back through the aisles, holding about four books in her arms.

"I would like to check zeez out please." She said. John looked over the titles. _The Families of Magic: A Self-Updating Volume of Pureblood Lines, Ancient Customs of Magic, My Blood is Purer than Yours_—yes, that was really a book—and the most interesting title, _Pureblood by Day, Creature by Night: A Comprehensive Guide to Spotting Creature Blood Within Pureblooded Lines_.

Madame Pince cocked an eyebrow, and simply nodded, documenting the books, and Gemina's name, so that she knew who to find if another student wanted one of those books, as they were some of the only copies within the school. Gemina then picked up the stack, and turned to the boys.

"I 'ad fun today boys. I need to go now, but I will see you soon, yes?" She said, before leaving, most likely headed back to the Ravenclaw common room to begin her reading.

Sherlock checked out the books he had requested on wands, and placed them in his bag. John watched in interest as they sunk into the bag, as though there was infinite space within the bag. Sherlock noticed his confusion, and smirked.

"Undetectable extension charms. They are very convenient for people who like to carry a lot. Basically, the bag is bigger on the inside (AN: I'M SORRY! I COULDN'T RESIST!) than it is the outside. I requested one a few years ago from my parents." He explained, leading the way out of the library.

"Oohhh. Okay… The things you learn about the magical world. The wonders never cease!" John mumbled, causing Sherlock to chuckle.

"You will begin to learn a lot of things soon enough that you would never have guessed possible from Magic." Sherlock said, as they turned the corner, and lapsed into silence.

"What were the books for?" John finally asked as they reached the entrance hall, and had been about to split up.

"I am very curious about what a Wizard's wand says about them as a person. So I requested that Mr. Ollivander send me notes on the wood that my wand is made of, and so he did, and we began to correspond throughout the summer. He sent me the titles of those books so that I could continue to research if I so pleased." Sherlock explained.

"What do you mean? How does a wand describe a wizard's personality?" John asked curiously.

Sherlock seemed slightly excited that the male had asked, it gave him an excuse to test the knowledge he had gained so far on the subject, and perhaps John would be able to give him a little more insight about Sherlock. Sometimes, it was necessary for someone looking from the outside to make an observation. "Well, there are many different kinds of wood, and many different magical wand cores. Each wand is unique, and will pick a witch or wizard it feels can use it to its full potential, and will not abuse it.

"For example. My wand wood is vine. Vine wands are among the less common types, and their owners are nearly always those witches or wizards who seek a greater purpose, who have a vision beyond the ordinary and who frequently astound those who think they know them best. Vine wands seem strongly attracted by personalities with hidden depths, and tend to be more sensitive than any other when it comes to instantly detecting a prospective match. Reliable sources claim that these wands can emit magical effects upon the mere entrance into their room of a suitable owner. Mine did." Sherlock said. It sounded as though he was reciting from somewhere the information about his wand. "I have read all the notes that Mr. Olivander has on various wood types, and I still do not understand why my wand chose me. It seems so unlikely." He said, shaking his head, heading towards the front doors of the castle.

John started, and looked at Sherlock. "Where are you going?" He asked, thinking about the wand that had apparently chosen him. He wondered what that said about who he was. Or would be in the future.

"To sit out by the lake I think. It's nice out, and I want to take advantage of the weather while I can." He said. John nodded, and following the other, intending to look at the book on wand wood to read about his wand. He was really curious.

The two boys found a spot under a tree, and Sherlock looked at John. "You didn't have to come with me." He said.

"I know. But I was curious about my wand. Plus… I don't have anything better to do today. I read a little bit for classes so that I would be prepared. I and I don't know what would be helpful if I tried to check a book out of the library, and could just end up reading something that made no sense, whatsoever." John said.

Sherlock nodded, and smirked. "So you want to read _Wand Woods: From Ash to Yew?_" He asked the other male. John furrowed his brow for a moment, and then nodded.

"Yeah." He said, and gave Sherlock a half smile when the male took the large book from his bag and handed it to John.

"Thanks…" John muttered, as he opened the book and tried to find the passage about Rowan wood.

_ROWAN WOODS:_

_Rowan wood is a prized wand wood due to the reputation it carries for being good for protection spells, and it was noted by a very skilled wandmaker that the wands have a tendency to produce very strong, very difficult to break defensive charms. It is also believed to not associate well with dark magic, and no known Dark Lords or wizards carry a wand of Rowan. It is a general belief of wandmakers that mostly pure-hearted wizards carry a wand of Rowan. Despite its strength in protection, do not be fooled, Rowan wands are very handy in duels._

_-More Information:_

_The name 'rowan' is thought to come from the old Nordic name for the tree _raun. _In  
>Gaelic, the word is <em>caorann _or _rudha-an_ depending on the dialect it is being taken from.  
>There are also many names for the wood that come from folklore and mythology linked<br>with the tree._

John looked at the page, and re-read the entry several times. Was that really all it had to say?

"Well, it's hardly the _complete_ guide to wand woods. But it's a starting place, don't you think?" Sherlock said, and John blushed as he realized that he had made his comment about the passage being short aloud.

"Well, it left more questions than it answered! I mean, _how_ does it help enhance protection magic? _What _makes their defensive charms so strong? Is it the pure-heartedness of the caster? Or does the wand simply take that and enhance it?" John asked, shaking his head, and closing the book, handing it back to Sherlock who had been reading the book on wand cores.

"Well, John, perhaps those answers are in other books. Sometimes, when doing research, you need to find other sources." Sherlock suggested, shrugging, and looking back down at his book. "Would you like for me to see if I can find out more?" Sherlock offered. He intended to read up on a lot of wands any way, and it would be better not to research his wand, because he was biased.

"Ermm… Sure, if you're willing." He told Sherlock.

"I just need to know what your wand is made of." He said.

"It's hmmm… Rowan and Unicorn hair." He told Sherlock after a moment of thinking about it.

"Right. I will try to answer some of your questions." Sherlock said with a nod, thinking about the books in his bag.

John smiled as he shifted and stood. "Thank you. I am going to head back to my common room. I will see you tomorrow. Okay?" John said. Sherlock, who had already reopened the book on Wand Cores nodded.

"See you then." He said, his mind running on several directions as he read the introduction to the book.

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><p>Alright, there's the end of this chapter. This one is on the longer side, but I am going to try to make the chapters longer and longer as time goes on! Please review and let me know what you all thought! ^.^ I hope you're enjoying so far.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Okay guys! Well, I decided that I would post a new chapter today as well, even though I posted a chapter on Sunday or Monday night. I hope you all are enjoying this! ^.^

I apologize if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes within this chapter. I was working hard to keep that from happening, but I may not have succeeded. I proof read this myself, and don't have a beta reader.

Disclaimer: Okay, in this chapter, the book excerpt that Sherlock is reading from came from my mind. It was not from Pottermore, or anywhere else. Other than that, I still do not own anything :'(

Word count: 1,930 words.

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><p>As the first day of classes dawned over Hogwarts, students in each House were scrambling around to find books, or quill<p>

s that somehow had managed to scatter in only two days at the school. In the Ravenclaw first year girl's dorm, Gemina was twisting her hair into a complicated bun, and pinning it into place. "Oh that's so pretty Liz! You should teach me how to do that!" One of the other girls in the room announced.

Gemina cringed slightly. When she had introduced herself to her roommates, it had proven hard for the girls to pronounce 'Gemina' so when they asked to call her Gem and she declined, one girl had come up with the idea to address her by her middle name. So some people called her Liz within the house, and the others Lizette. It was annoying for the girl, because she was not used to nicknames, because back home, everyone used her full name.

"I can do zat, at some point. " She said, smiling at the other girl, and slinging her bag over her shoulder, before leaving the dorm, and heading out of Ravenclaw tower towards the Great Hall to get her schedule and breakfast.

When she arrived in the Great Hall, she stopped at the Slytherin table, and greeted Sherlock. "'Ow are you zis morning?" She asked. He just nodded, face in a book.

"Tsk Georgie. Look at this."

"I know Freddie. It's a shame. Ignoring a girl for the sake of a book."

_Oh great. _Gemina thought as the twins appeared. She had managed to avoid them yesterday. But obviously she wouldn't manage that today. Especially if they had classes together.

"Liz! Come eat with us!" One of the girls from her room shouted. Gemina sighed.

"I'll see you later Sherlock." She said, and turned.

"Why do they-"

"Call you Liz?" The twins asked.

"Well, obviously, Gemina is too hard to pronounce. And Lizette is her middle name. So, why not call her that?" Sherlock answered, taking the attention from the French girl, and giving her a chance to sneak off over to her house table, and sit down with the girls.

Sherlock looked at the twins, and they looked back at him, before they simultaneously saluted him, and walked away. He snorted, and shook his head, turning back towards his goblet of pumpkin juice, and placing a couple more sausages on his plate.

He noticed from the corner of his eye when John walked into the Great Hall with a house mate, and he waved at Sherlock. The dark haired male nodded in response, acknowledging that he had seen the other man. Sherlock bit into his sausage, and pulled out a book from his bag, opening to a marked page, and picking up from where he had been reading, until Professor Snape stopped behind him.

"Mr. Holmes." He spoke, a timetable in his hand, it was the generic timetable every first year got. "Here are your timetables. I expect you will be punctual to every lesson you have, and do nothing to sully the reputation of Slytherin house." He told the young boy, before he walked away, going to the next student to hand them their timetable.

Sherlock looked down at it and nodded slightly. He had Potions that morning, first thing with the Gryffindors. Meaning that he would be with the twins. He looked up, and met their eyes, and their matching smirks. He could tell that they were planning something that would upset Professor Snape, and he was not looking forward to it.

He recalled what they had said about their family the other day. He was sure that the reason that they caused so much trouble on a regular basis had something to do with the amount of children in the house, and a way to get a bit of attention. Though he could tell that it was also more than that. The twins had quite a bit of potential in them to be great tricksters. Perhaps the greatest Hogwarts had ever seen. Only time would tell after all.

Sherlock went back to reading the passage about wand cores he had been reading before Professor Snape had interrupted him.

_As it is necessary for most wizards to wield a wand, so is it necessary for that wand to have a magical core. The reasoning for this is quite simple. _The magic needs a filter it can recognize. _Most wand woods are not inherently magical before their forging, and therefore, they do not channel magic very effectively. This is why staffs are no longer as common for a wizard to wield as a tool. _

_Of course, different cores have different properties, and they channel one's magic differently, but at the end of the day, every wand core acts as a _grounding agent._ Now this is a very important principle, because a grounding agent is what helps a wizard focus their magic. More powerful Wizards can perform wandless magic, or use a staff to funnel their magic through, because they can focus their power consciously. But for those wizards who are younger, or maybe do not have as much magical prowess, a grounding agent is important, because it helps them to send their magic through a filter, and that filter unconsciously teaches the wizard to focus their magic in such a way that smaller tasks become easier over time. For many, having a wand and using it can actually aid the wizard in becoming stronger magically. It is not usually by a noticeable amount to many, but after great self-reflection, many wizards have found that certain spells came easier to them after several years of performing it through their wand. There were even a couple of cases where wizards with lesser magical power were able to master a wandless spell or two, because the use of their wand had allowed them to grow used to allotting their magic towards that task, and without a wand, they could still focus their magic._

Sherlock looked that page over again. The material on the page made sense, and quite honestly, Sherlock found himself shocked at how much logic actually went into wandmaking. The preteen had often prided himself on his ability to be logical. It was something many wizards were not capable of. Many saw their magic as a cure-all, andtherefore saw no reason to employ logic as a science. In fact, many scoffed at the idea of science, thinking that it was something for just muggles.

_If only they knew. So much of who they are relies on a careful balance of magic and science. _Sherlock thought. He closed his book, and slid it into his bag, deciding that he should be early to class, as he had been told not to make a fool of himself, and to uphold the Slytherin name.

Meanwhile, at the Hufflepuff table, a second year named Cedric was sitting explaining the schedule that had just been handed to John. He had been a little shocked when John had waved at a Slytherin that morning, but he simply gave John a little warning that they weren't always the best friends, and dropped it, since the decision ultimately was Johns. Of course, he made sure to stress the unity of the house. How they were always there for each other.

"…and if you find yourself having trouble with homework, there's generally someone who will be willing to help you out. You can ask me if all else fails, and I will try to help you as best I can." He finished up, letting go of John's schedule, and filling his goblet with water, and grabbing a couple pieces of toast. "Do you know where all of your classes will be held?" Cedric asked, assuming that the poor boys wouldn't know.

"Oh yes. Me and a couple of my friends from the train explored on Saturday and we became familiarized with the castle so that we wouldn't get lost today." John said, watching as Sherlock left the Hall, assuming that the male was going to class.

"Oh. That was a good idea." Cedric said, nodding to himself, and sipping his drink, having run out of things to say. "Right, well, I should head to the greenhouses. Have fun in Defense against the Dark Arts, the Ravenclaws are usually pretty cool." He said, standing up, and leaving the Great Hall, leaving John at the table without a friend. Sure, the others were nice to him, but he hadn't really formed a bond with any of them yet. Maybe soon he would.

John sighed, and finished picking at his breakfast, and then stood, and went over to the Ravenclaw table where Gemina was still seated with a couple of her housemates, who were chattering about what they would learn this year. The aforementioned blonde turned as the girls started to trail off at the sight of a Hufflepuff.

"Gemina, do you want to walk to class together? We have Defense together." He said, smiling nervously at the group of girls looking weirdly at him.

"Sure John. I will see you zere ladies." Gemina said, picking up her bag, and leaving the Hall with John.

"You 'ave great timing. I was losing my mind wiz zoes girls. Zey _insist_ on calling me 'Liz', and I 'ave not 'ad a nickname before, so I do not know 'ow to deal wiz it." Gemina told him after they had started up the stairs. She felt bad for complaining, but only a little.

John smiled softly. "Well, I am sure they have good intentions. Maybe they just find your name too hard to pronounce? Or maybe they are trying to form bonds? I know some people find that giving each other nicknames makes them closer." He said, trying to give the girls the benefit of the doubt. Surely, they couldn't be _that _bad already.

"I am sure you are correct John, but… Sacre Bleu! Zey 'ardly ever stop talking. I just wish to read my books, and yet, zey 'ave different plans. 'Ow did they get sorted into Ravenclaw?" She asked, more to herself. John just shook his head.

"Maybe it's just a slight cultural difference? Give it time before you judge them too much." John advised. He didn't want to see someone he had befriended potentially burn future bridges because she had a few differences with her classmates.

"Per'aps. But, eets not zat I do not like to communicate. But sometimes I want to read. I 'ad wanted to prepare more for zis first day of classes." She said, pulling her Defense book from her bag as they neared the room. Of course, they had to wait until Professor Heatherthorne let them into the room. She opened the book, and leafed through to a page where there was a marker.

"Is that how far you've read? That's at least a quarter of the way into the book! I would say that you are sufficiently prepared for the first lesson." John said to the girl as she scanned the page.

"Per'aps." She muttered, though she did not look convinced.

A few minutes later, Gemina's housemates showed up, and then the Hufflepuffs. The girls came over, and smiled at John. "Hi, I'm Jane, this is Emma, this is Anna, and that's Arianna." A dark haired girl said, holding her hand out. "How did you and Liz meet each other?"

"Gemina and I met on the train." John said, taking the girls hand and smiling slightly. "I'm John Watson." He said, nodding to each girl in turn.

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><p>Thanks for reading! Please review.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, Chapter 7. Also, it looks like I may have lied. The big overview chapter is going to end up being chapter 11. I am in the process of writing chapter 9, and a new chapter forced it's way into my brain. I'm updating now, because I am avoiding studying for a test... And my brain hurts. This chapter is a bit shorter. the next chapter is very short, as its essentially just a filler. Big things are going to be revealed in the next few chapters, so keep your eyes open! And if anyone spots any grammar or spelling mistakes, please, point them out to me. I think I caught them all, but I could be wrong.

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own any of this... Dx 'nuff said

Word Count: 1474 words.

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><p>The weeks passed quickly, and before the students of Hogwarts knew it, Halloween was right around the corner. Some of the muggleborns were overjoyed, having heard about the feast. A couple of the older years were apparently plotting some costume party in an unused classroom near the kitchens. John had been asked by a couple of fellow first year Hufflepuffs if he intended to go, and he responded the same way to each.<p>

"Maybe, we'll see."

But now, it was two days before the party, which was going to occur on the 28th of October, and John sighed, sitting down in the library with the twins, Sherlock and Gemina. The group had taken to meeting up to do homework together every few days. And as that night was one of the only nights where they could all be available at exactly that same times, it worked out well for them.

"Are any of you going to that Halloween party one of the 5th years is throwing?" He asked as he pulled out the potions essay they all had to work on. Sherlock snorted.

"Hardly. There is better things I could be doing with my time than risk getting caught at some party just for the sake of practicing some silly tradition. I mean, really." Sherlock said, inadvertently insulting muggles. John bit his lip, looking slightly upset at that comment.

"I zink what 'e meant, John, ees zat none of us are very accustomed to ze way muggles celebrate 'Alloween. And I personally 'ave some reading I want to do." Gemina said, not exactly meeting the male's eye as she stood up for Sherlock.

"Well, we're going!" Fred started.

"Yeah! And we already have our costumes planned!" George added.

Fred held up a green and silver tie, and a black wig, while George held up a blue and bronze tie and a blondish brown wig and a pair of glasses.

"No one will recognize us!" George said.

"It's perfect!" Fred stated, looking awfully proud of himself. The others just shook their heads, and John sighed.

"Well, even if I go, I don't have a costume!" He said, though he felt slightly more inclined to go now that he knew a couple of his friends would be there. He did also recall Cedric saying that he would most likely be going.

"How about an animal?" One twin suggested.

"A hedgehog! Or a badger!" Fred added. John sighed and shook his head.

"No… I don't think so." John responded, looking down at his essay. There was next to nothing written on it so far. He groaned. "This essay is due tomorrow, and I have next to nothing done so far…" He complained.

Gemina tore the sheet out from under John's nose, and looked at what he had written. She shook her head. "Everything you wrote is fine, you just need to elaborate more. Talk about the ingredients in the sleeping draught, and how each plays a role in the making of the potion." She suggested, handing it back to him. John looked back down at it.

"Okay, right. Makes sense." He said, pulling out his potions book to look up the potion that they were to be writing a foot and a half long essay on. He then pulled out his book _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, _so that he could look up the properties of each potion ingredient and write a bit about it.

Sherlock glanced over at John's essay from where he was reading a new book on wand cores, this one having a slightly different stance than the one he had been reading the first week of school. He was mentally taking notes of where the books agreed, and where they differed, so that later he could compare them to a third party, and build a solid foundation for what to believe. "I finished that essay the day it was assigned. Why put it off so long John?" Sherlock asked absently, as though he hardly cared if the male actually answered.

"I wanted to wait until I could ask you or Liz. You two are so much better at all of this than I am." He said. The group had easily slipped into calling the French girl by the nickname her housemates had come up with. She hardly even flinched these days when she was called by the nickname.

"'Ardly. If you would just zink 'arder on eet, I am sure eet would come quite eezily to you." She said, not looking up from the essay on inanimate transfigurations that she was writing. It wasn't due for almost a week, but she was completely up to date on all of her homework, so she decided to get a bit ahead. Of course, she also wanted to read more on the _Wingardium Leviosa_ spell that Professor Flitwick had finally allowed the students to try the day before. She would do that in her free time.

"I don't know Liz. We can't all be you or Holmes." Fred said, looking down at his essay, which was wonderfully crafted in large wording, and using some colorful terminology that was sure to make Professor Snape cringe, as he was not quite fond of the twins, or on how they chose to turn in their homework.

"We simply just apply ourselves." Sherlock said. He would hardly admit that he was smarter than them, as they were always telling him. After all, Mycroft had never lost an opportunity to remind Sherlock of how stupid he truly was. It was no different here. He just tried harder now, so that he wouldn't show that stupidity to others.

"Hey, I have an idea!" George announced.

_Oh boy... _Sherlock thought.

"Magnifique..." Gemina muttered under her breath, mirroring Sherlock's thoughts.

"Since you and Sherlock are always studying or doing homework, and so uptight, you two are going to come to the Halloween party this weekend!" George decided.

"Absolutely not." Gemina responded.

"No! It's a great idea!" Fred added. "You say you don't know enough about muggle culture. What better way to learn something about it than to attend the party?"

"I have too much reading." Sherlock said, gesturing to the stack of books on wands, and the books he needed for his homework.

"That will all be there still the day after the party. And it will be there tomorrow before the party too." George argued.

The two trying to be coerced turned to John, who looked up from his essay, in time for the twins to look at him too.

"Oh no. I am not deciding this for you four. I am always the tie breaker." He said, shaking his head, and trying to go back to his essay. Unfortunately he found his quill gone when he went to dip it in his inkwell. "Fred… Can I have my quill back please?" He asked.

"Sure thing. As soon as you tell Dull and Duller that going to a party that celebrates muggle tradition would be good for them! They might learn something new! I know you would like if all of your closer friends were there." Fred added.

John sighed, and shook his head, going to reach in his bag for his spare quill, only to find it lifting in the air and floating over to Gemina. "Liz…"

"Just tell zem zat zey are being ridiculus and you can 'ave eet back." She said, grabbing it, and lowering her wand.

"Well…" John started. "I actually kind of agree with them. How better to learn more about muggles than to go to a party thrown by some muggleborn students? And sure, we have a feast on Halloween night, but it's just not the same." John said.

Gemina and Sherlock shared a look, and both signed. Gemina handed John back his bag, and picked her quill up, opening a book she used as a planner, and scribbling down something.

"If it means that much to you John, Gemina and I will go." Sherlock promised, causing the twins to beam, and for John to smile slightly.

"Thanks guys..." He muttered, feeling a little bad that he had helped to gang up on his two first friends from the school.

"Eet ees no problem John. Eef you want us zer, we will go. 'Owever, I do not 'ave a costume to wear." Gemina said, still writing away in her planner, not looking up.

"I have an idea." Sherlock said, and bent towards the French girl so he could whisper it in her ear. Her eyes widened, and she exclaimed loudly in French.

"Zat ees a great idea!" She said, her eyes sparkling, she jumped up and threw her things into her bag. "I 'ave to go and put zis togzer!" She said, turning and taking off, leaving Sherlock looking quite pleased, and everyone else very confused.

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><p>Okay, as always, please review! 3<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Hey Guys! I'm sorry this was late! My schedule got really crazy with it being Thanksgiving weekend here in the states, and as Thanksgiving was on my usual post date, I didn't get around to posting, nor did I have the story files with me :/... Sorry! The upside is that I will be making sure I post on this Thursday, and that chapter is a bit longer. This one is just a bit of a filler. I mentioned Halloween, so I will deliver! After this, Christmas is coming. That will be a longer series of Chapters, and I am looking to do the time skip after the Christmas series has ended. I was going to put it all into one chapter, but maybe not. Give me input about what y'all would like to see, one chapter, or probably about four before the time skip. Chapters from here are going to get longer, and it may take me more than a week to update. That being said, finals are next week for me, so I may not post! If I do, it will probably be around Friday or Saturday next week. Otherwise, once I am home and doing nothing all the time, I will update regularly.

Disclaimer: Nope. I checked. My name still isn't on the Harry Potter series, or BBC's Sherlock... Meaning I still don't own them :'( Everything in the story is owned by their respective franchise. Except Gem... She's mine!

Word Count: 1065 about

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><p>When the day of the Halloween party rolled around, and as the day progressed, none of the boys saw much of Gemina, who was up in her room getting ready for the party. Whatever costume Sherlock had suggested had been a hit with the young girl, and yet, he would not tell any of their little group what he had suggested.<p>

He himself had chosen a simple costume, and had—after many hours of looking for the right spell and practicing—transfigured himself a black dog mask, and had pulled out a furry winter coat and asked one of the seventh years to transfigure it for him, so that he would look almost like a mix between a dog and a werewolf.

John had finally decided that he was going to be a pirate, and had found a larger night shirt, which he tucked into a loose pair of trousers, and broke out his work boots. He then put on a belt, and hung a little piece of metal transfigured to look like a knife from it. He had several pouches that he filled with fake galleons and random inexpensive pieces of costume jewelry.

The twins, it turned out, were going as Sherlock and Gemina, though George refused to wear a skirt, so he had modified her appearance into a more masculine one. And he had added glasses to make her seem more like a "studious nerdy Ravenclaw" as he put it. When the four boys met up, they all nodded in approval of one another's costumes. "So, where's Liz?" John asked, looking around. The group had agreed the day before that they would meet up there, and head to the party together.

"Right 'ere John." The girl said from behind him. The group turned around, and everyone but Sherlock looked on in shock as she stepped into the light.

"Whoa…" The twins muttered in unison.

Gemina smiled. Her costume was a little white dress, which fell just above her knees, and was just a simple cover. What was really stunning was the white fluffy wings that the girl had fastened to the back of it. They flared out behind her, and almost shone. The shocking thing was, that when Sherlock focused hard on the wings, he could see a light around them, as though they had been charmed to glow. Her hair was braided, and pulled over her left shoulder, resting against her chest, the red ends a harsh contrast against the dress. A small halo was floating above her head, and shining softly. John also took notice of the fact that she was barefoot.

"Are we ready?" She asked, walking closer to the boys. They all nodded.

"You did much better than I thought you might." Sherlock admitted.

"Merci, Sherlock. Eet took a lot of research to find zee proper spells." She said, bowing her head. She had asked a few of the higher years to make sure her spell work was proper, and she did ask a seventh year to make the wings for her, and the female had been more than happy to agree, in an opportunity to show off how much she really knew, compared to others within the house.

The group headed off towards the sixth floor, where there was a mostly unused corridor, which had been decorated for the party, with things that were supposed to be "spooky" lining the walls as they neared the door, where some odd music was pouring out of.

As the five entered the room, they saw many students of all years mingling. And of course, it was basically impossible to tell where each student came from, unless someone recognized them from classes.

Cedric walked over to the five, and smiled, dressed as some macabre comic book vampire from a muggle story.

"Hey! I'm glad you all could make it!" He said.

Sherlock looked at him sideways. "Aren't you a pureblood, what are you doing here?"

Cedric looked a little taken aback at that. "Well, this party was planned by Hufflepuffs. I'm showing my house pride, even if we do not celebrate like this in our culture." He said, arms crossed, fixing his gaze on Sherlock.

"Honestly, I am surprised to see a Slytherin here. I would have assumed that you all would consider yourselves too good for something like this." He shot back, eyes narrowed. There was only one person who could feasibly be behind the mask. That Holmes boy John spent all of his time with, despite the fact that he had many house mates who were more than willing to study with him. Of course, once a 'Puff declared a loyalty, or friendship, there was no changing that. It was a universally known fact within the school.

"Zat ees enough." Gemina said, looking between Sherlock and Cedric, and giving John a slight gaze. The first year Hufflepuff seemed a little conflicted, and not sure what to say. "We came to 'ave fun wiz our friend 'oo does celebrate 'alloween een a "muggle" capacitee. We are 'ere to learn more about our friend, not argue about 'ouses. All 'Allows Eve ees a time for magic, and to celebrate zee 'istory surrounding eet. Not to fight like children." She said, crossing her arms stubbornly. She was not going to let this night be ruined.

_And she did make a very good point_, Sherlock realized. _This is a great time to observe some muggle traditions, and All Hallows Eve isn't meant to be a day for arguing. _He just nodded. "You're right Gemina." He said, looking at her from behind his mask.

"Of course I am." She said slightly smugly, glad to have heard the words come from Sherlock's mouth, as he always tried to prove her words wrong. She hadn't been planning on letting that happen this time.

"Yes, of course you are." Cedric said. "I am sorry for snapping. I shouldn't have." He said, and nodded once to John, and walked away, to go join his friends across the room.

"Look at you go Liz!" Fred said, fixing his Slytherin tie.

"Yeah! You stopped that fight before it could even really start!" George added, looking very pleased.

The girl flushed slightly, and shook her head. "Eet was nozing. Now, let's go get somezing to eat, I see many treats over zere." She said, leading the way to a snack table.

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><p>Please Review! ^.^ I love hearing from you all!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys! Here is the next chapter! This is Christmas with the group! ^.^ It's a little bit of a longer chapter this time. I hope you all like it. There's a shock at the end of it. Just a heads up guys. I may not upload at my normal time next week. My finals for college start next Tuesday, so I am going to be very busy with that! So I will either upload that Friday, or the following week. I haven't finished chapter ten yet! But I decided that the entire group's Christmas at home will be in that chapter, so that one will be kinda long as well!

Disclaimer: T_T I checked... And I still don't own any of these characters, or the plot.

A response to a comment that someone left on the last chapter: The majority of this story is going to take place in their sixth year, which means it will be set during the Goblet of Fire. Beyond that, I am not certain about when I will end the story, though I may write a sequel all things considered. I have ideas for it. But after these Christmas chapters, I am going to time skip, and have a chapter dedicated to each book, until we reach Goblet of fire, and then things will slow down once more, and the story will really begin to unfold.

Word Count: About 4130 words

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><p>Christmas seemed to sneak up on Hogwarts that year. The students had begun to run around, upper years going to Hogsmead, trying to get gifts for their friends. Couples were either bickering, or being completely lovely to one another, knowing that they had gotten the best possible gifts for their significant others.<p>

The twins had apparently come up with the best gifts for their friends in other houses, and had apologized ahead of time to their friends if their mother may have sent them a sweater. Gemina had told her friends that she was staying in the school over the holiday, as her family back home couldn't get to Britain to bring her home for the break. John had said that his family expected him home for the break, because it was a big deal for the muggles.

Of course it was. Most Wizards celebrated Christmas simply as a way to get together as a family and exchange presents. Some pureblood families used it as an excuse to show off whichever sibling had the most money, whose kids were more successful, and things like that. There was the whole religion part of the muggle's Christmas.

Then there was Sherlock, who had never been overly interested in Christmas, was only going home for the short vacation so that he could conduct some research.

As the group met in the library for one last study session before the end of the term, Gemina was reading through a new letter with a scowl on her face.

"Who even writes you so much Liz? You have a new letter like… Every week." Fred said, wondering what was in the letter that made her so angry.

"Eet ees from my fazer. 'E wants me to come zere for zee winter, since I cannot go 'ome." She said.

"Well, what's so bad about that?" George asked.

"It probably has something to do with who her father is." Sherlock said, as he opened a book. He had been going through several books on wand theory all year, and now was no different. He had all of his homework up to the start of next term finished, so he was doing some reading for fun now.

Gemina jumped, and turned and glared at the male. "What makes you zink zat?" She asked. She still hadn't told her friends who her father was, as she didn't want anyone to know. It was not a pretty truth, and one she was still wishing she could deny.

"Well, you're really secretive about it. Whomever he is, it's not someone you are fond of, or look up to. Whenever you get a letter from who I would assume is him, you scowl, and place it in that pouch of yours. But you never burn, crumple, or rip the letters. Which makes me think that there is either something really important in them, or it's simple that even though you quite clearly dislike the man, some part of you still wants to get to know him. Prove to the rest of you that he's not actually that bad." He said.

Gemina sighed. "I just don't know 'im. Or 'is family. Why should I 'ave to go zere for Christmas when 'e 'as never made an effort before to meet me?" She asked, seeming to get angrier the more she thought about it. The man really made her mad it seemed.

"Isn't this him making an effort?" John asked. He thought she should at least give the male a chance, but knew if she said that aloud, the others would waive the statement off as a sign of his housemates rubbing off on him.

"Well. I suppose so…" She conceded. Letting out a sigh, she pulled out a small piece of parchment and wrote a quick response to her father.

"So I guess that means you will get Christmas with your family after all!" Fred said, trying to help her look on the bright side. Gemina grimaced.

"Maybe…" She said standing. "I am going to bring zis letter to ze owlry." She informed them.

Sherlock stood. "I'll come with you." He offered. The girl just nodded, and the two walked out of the library silently. Once they were out of the library, and a few corridors away, Sherlock made sure that no one was nearby, and placed a hand on Gemina's arm.

"I think you should tell the others who your father is."

"So zat zey can 'ate me? No zanks."

"I don't hate you… And I doubt they will either."

"…. You don't know zat zough… Do you?"

"Well, no…"

"Exactly. Eef you could tell me zat zey will forgive it… Zen I would consider eet. Zee fact zat you know ees bad enough."

"But I know, and I don't think any less of you. But think about it… Gemina, if you don't tell them, and he decides to announce the finding of a long lost child, and spin some story, forcing you to live with him… Don't you think that they will find it harder to forgive you then, finding it out second hand?"

Gemina sniffed, and looked down at the ground. Sherlock realized the girl had thought about that. Of course she had. She wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing after all. But the possibilities were endless, and neither of them had any clue what would happen in the future, and that fact made her more upset than anything.

"Hey… Don't cry. I can guarantee that even if the twins have a hard time accepting it, John will be fine. Even if his brain has been filled with bad things about him from his housemates, he'll thank you for telling him yourself. And the twins… Well, if they can't get over it eventually, then the family hate and bigotry goes deeper than I thought, but they haven't been that influenced yet, I don't believe." Sherlock said, he had intended to say more, but he was shocked into silence when Gemina threw her arms around the male, hugging him fiercely. He awkwardly hugged her back, not overly used to the experience.

"Can you go and tell zee ozers zat I would like to exchange presents before we all go off for Christmas? You're right... I am going to tell zem zen." She said. Sherlock smiled, and the two parted ways, Gemina going off to the owlry to send a letter, and to think about how she wanted to word the hardest confession of her life. Sherlock went back to the library to tell the others that they had to get together to exchange gifts before they all went home, as per Gemina's request.

A few days past quickly, and the day that the quintet had agreed on as their Christmas date arrived. The five ended up in an empty classroom, a few snacks from a house elf, and several pillows, two red, one blue, one yellow, and one green, were laid out in a circle on the floor, with a small pile of gifts in front of each. The pillows had come from each common room.

"Okay, ladies first. Gemina, open your gifts first!" The twins said in harmony. Even though the group had decided that they would do a secret Santa to save some money, that hadn't stopped everyone from getting something small for each person, and something a little bigger for whomever they had drawn. Gemina picked up a small gift, and when she opened it, there was a chocolate frog, with a blank card beneath it. She blinked, and picked up the card, reading the note written on it.

_Gemina, _

_Yes, I know. It was odd of me to give you a chocolate frog. But it's a sign of our friendship. Remember the first day on the train? When I had no clue what a chocolate frog was, and you told me I _had _to be a muggleborn?—_at this Gemina flushed —_it's okay, I know you didn't mean it like that. Anyway, that was a sign that I was going to have to work harder to catch up to all of you who grew up in this environment. I was worried I wasn't going to make many friends. But looking around at our group, that comment you made really instilled in me to make friends, and do well, I realize, I did that. I have been learning more than I would have thought possible. _

_Thank you,_

_John_

Gemina smiled brightly at John, and placed the note back in the box with the candy, and closed it, setting it back down. "Zank you. Eetz a great present." She said. Next she picked up a box that on closer inspection was two boxes, combined somehow. She knew that this was from the twins. When she opened it, she let out a small laugh.

Sitting in the box was a multicolored flower, a rose that shimmered, going back and forth between to colors. "We couldn't decide what color to make it. So we decided that we would split it. The yellow as a symbol of our friendship. The dark pink color signifies our appreciation of you as a person, and of the help you have given us this year, despite the fact that we're always getting in trouble, and causing problems." Fred explained.

"I love eet. Zank you." She said, smiling. It was obvious that the twins had put a lot of thought into showing that they cared about their friendship. She wondered how that would change after she gave her big announcement at the end of this all.

Her big present came from Sherlock, suggesting that he had drawn her for their gift exchange. She smirked. Anything from the male would prove to be quite interesting, she was sure.

She opened the gift, and her jaw dropped at the sight of the books in her lap. _Magical Creatures: Their Place in Society, _and_ The Secrets Dark Families Keep About the Taints in Their Bloodlines. _"Sherlock…" She started, looking at them. She knew that those books had to be first editions, and going off the look of them, very old. She opened the book on Dark Families, and gasped at the realization that they were handwritten.

"Before you get all bent out of shape over me having spent a lot of money. I didn't. I wrote to my parents. I explained that as these books have been in our family's archives for years, but no one uses them, I knew someone who would put them to better use, and who would have a great interest in the books. As my family is known for its neutrality, having the book on Dark Families was just pointless. It's the only known copy. So take good care of it."

Gemina sat speechless for a moment. She knew why he had given her the book. Because of her family. It was a way to know more without the risk of asking them. And the fact that it was handwritten… She was sure that the author had gone to great risks to get the information for this book. She swallowed hard, and smiled at Sherlock. "Zank you… So much. Zis meanz so much… I will treasure eet always." She promised, hugging the books to her chest, and then setting them down beside her other presents.

"Fred. You go next." She said. The twin nodded, and looked down at the presents he had gotten from his friends.

He picked up a gift that was clearly from John, and opened it, to find a deck of cards, and a couple of little weirdly shaped pod-type things. He gave the male a strange look. "They're muggle tricks. The cards have directions on them, on how to use them to fool your friends, and if you throw the other things at the ground, they pop, and make a loud noise." He explained. He knew that the twins liked jokes and pranks, so he figured he would get them muggle things that they may not be familiar with. "Wicked." He said, putting down that box, and picking up Sherlock's gift. He opened it, and found a small book that had a couple of elementary spells for pranksters. When he opened it, he realized it was handwritten, and the binding was simple.

Sherlock shrugged. "I found some spells while I was doing research that I thought you may find interesting, so I put them into a book. Each has a description of what it does, and the proper wand movements. I left space for notes, if you figure out ways to improve upon the spells." He said, knowing that between the twins, Fred was slightly better with the spell casting.

The twins had decided that they would exchange their gifts at home with the family, so there was nothing from George for Fred.

Fred then opened the big gift, which was from Gemina, who had drawn his name for the gift lotto. He smiled as he pulled out a picture that had the five of them in it, and each was a different color. "Ze colors correspond wiz each of ours emotions. Zer ees a guide for what each color means een ze bottom of ze box." She told him. He pulled it out, and looked it over. And when he saw that the turquoise color that was over Gemina meant nervousness, he assumed that it meant she was nervous about what he would think about the gift.

"I love it." He said, smiling at her brightly. "John, it's your turn now." Fred said.

John nodded, and started with his gift from George, which was a small box. John opened it, and then looked at George oddly. "It's empty." He said. George smirked.

"Is it?" He asked.

"Yes."

"But are you sure?"

"George… There is nothing in the box."

"Huh… Well… try to remove whatever is in it."

John gave George a withering look, and sighed, knowing that the male wouldn't give up until he actually did what he was told. He reached into the box….. And nothing happened. "Huh… Weird. Here, Sherlock, you try." George said, urging John to pass the box to Sherlock. John did as he was told, and handed it over. Sherlock who looked at it suspiciously, and when he tried to reach into the box, a spray of water hit him in the face.

Sherlock sputtered, and tossed the box at John, who chuckled slightly.

"It's a trick box. It will spray anyone who tries to reach into it who isn't the owner. It's great for fooling your friends. Or even to keep someone from stealing something. And surprisingly cheap." George said, sounding quite proud of himself. John nodded.

"Thanks. This is actually pretty cool." He said, setting it down, and picking up the gift from Sherlock.

"Did you get everyone books?" John asked, as he opened it, and saw that it was a notebook much like Fred's. Sherlock shrugged.

"Sharing information is surprisingly easy to share. And if you give the right person certain information, it can mean a lot." He explained. "For example. That notebook is filled with common ingredients for potions that can be found in muggle homes. Many muggles and wizards alike don't realize that the simplest things can have some of the most magical properties. Any herbs that a family member may grow in the garden, if they can be used in a potion, I wrote it down, and then listed its properties in magical potions, and a couple of potions it can be used in."

Sherlock shrugged it off like it was no big deal, but it had taken him quite a bit of research to pull all of the data together for John. Though he wasn't going to admit that.

John smiled. "Thank you." He said. Sherlock knew how John was very interested in the theory behind potions, even if he wasn't very good with the applied things, and wanted to be able to help in any way he could.

John opened his gift from Gemina, which was a box full of vials. "Each vial 'as an eengreedeent een eet, or a scent zat you may find soozing… Or somezing similar. Eet ees for cooking, or even potions. Or zere are some zat can act as a perfume of sorts. Zings zat I 'ave and use often at 'ome zat I zought you may like. Maybe even eef eets just to give to your muzzer as a gift, or eef you decide to use some of zem as potion eengreedeentz. 'Owever, I would not suggest trying to brew a potion wizout supervision." She said, causing John to chuckle at the rule abiding part of her standing out.

"I would never." He said, and then picked up his final gift, which was from Fred. He opened it slowly, and let out a puff of air when he saw what it was. He lifted a stuffed pillow version of the school crest, though each animal within the crest moved, and they interacted with each other.

"I asked our prat of an older brother Percy to cast the spell. It _should_ only move when a wizard is touching it. If someone who doesn't have magic touches it, it will just look like the crest. But I wouldn't risk that if you're around people who don't know about magic. I just figure this way… We're all represented you know? Since we're in different houses. And you can show your family the pillow, and give them a taste of the magic without setting off the trace and getting in trouble for doing magic outside of Hogwarts." Fred explained.

"It's great. Thank you Fred." Everyone so far had been giving and getting the perfect gifts, and John was a little nervous for George to see what he got. Would it be too generic? "George… You're up." John said, not trying to make it obvious that he was nervous about the male's reaction.

The red head nodded, and opened his first gift, from Sherlock. Which was….

"You seriously did get us all books." George said, sounding amused as he flipped through it.

"They're potions that can be used in pranks, or to make prank-like effects." He explained. "It's similar to Fred's gift. But I know that you're better with the hands on stuff like potions."

"It's great." He said. It seemed like the group were trying to aid the twins in becoming better pranksters. And then there was that weird paper that they had found in Filch's office when he had taken them in for detention one day. They were still trying to figure that out.

Next he picked up the present from Gemina, and looked at the object curiously. It looked like an hourglass, but had multicolored grains of sand, which corresponded to the house colors. At the moment all the grains were on one side. When he tried to flip it, they all stayed on that side, as opposed to changing their position.

"Eet ees not a normal 'our glass, as you may 'ave guessed. Eef we 'ave a disagreement, all of us, 'ooever ees on one side and on zee ozer will spleet by colourz. Eets a way of knowing eef we are all een agreement on somezing, or not."

George nodded, though the gift didn't make much sense to him at that point in time. He set it down, and picked up the large box that was John's gift.

When he opened it, he was shocked to find a box that advertised "magic".

"It's a muggle magician kit. A bunch of simple tricks that claim to be magic and what not. I thought you guys would get a kick out of the things in it. Hell, maybe even find a way to incorporate real magic into the tricks." John explained.

"Sweet. Dad will love this." George said, riffling through the box, and looking at the "magical" items.

"I suppose that makes it my turn." Sherlock said, picking up the gift from John, and opening it. It was a book on wands, one that Sherlock had not yet read. "Where did you get this…?" He asked.

"I saw it back in August in Flourish and Blotts when I was buying my school books, and didn't think much of it. But I remembered that you were studying wands, and sent a letter out requesting it."

"Thank you." He said. John just nodded with a smile.

Next, Sherlock picked up the gift from Gemina, and when he opened it, gave a sidelong glance at the title. "It's in French." He said.

"Oui. Eets a book on Veela. 'Owever, I know you 'ave read a lot of books written about Veela by Wizards, but zis one was written by a Veela. Eet ees very eenformative. Usually, a Wizard would not be allowed to read zis, but I pulled some strings wiz my muzzer, and convinced 'er zat you could be trusted enough to know some of zee zings een zer. Zee notebook attached to zee back 'as translations for some of zee passages, and tells which pages, so zat you may look at zee words as well. Zer are also some diagrams een zee books zat you may find eenteresting." She said.

Sherlock stayed quiet for a moment, not sure how to respond. This was an amazing gift that she had given him. He knew that many magical creatures were very secretive about their kind, and the fact that she trusted him enough to share this information, even if it wasn't all of it, was humbling. "Thank you. Tell your family I will take very good care of this book."

"Of course." She said, nodding slightly.

Sherlock lifted the last gift which was from George, and opened it, to find that it had two parts to it. The first part was a planner that Sherlock could use to write all of his assignments in. The planner also had several spots for additional notes, or outside work that Sherlock might chose to engage himself in. The second part of the gift was a little black book. When the male opened it, he found several pages of spells from every category of study, and a few potions. Each had notes from professors or older years who George had approached in his house or after a class, explaining what the gift was. "They are the favorite spells and potions of every professor we have, of the Head Boy and Head Girl, and from some of the prefects. Everything in there is legal of course, and things that we either wouldn't learn for a few years, or things that the person took upon themselves to study. I figured that, seeing as you're so ahead, this could give you something extra to work on during your free time." George explained. It was obvious that he had put a lot of time and thought into the gift, and had written very slowly and carefully, so that it would be neat enough for Sherlock to be able to read it all.

Sherlock nodded. "Thank you. This is a great gift. And I'm sure it will help me to kill some of the excessive free time I have."

"Well. Is that everything?" Fred asked, moving to stand up.

"Erm… Not quite…" Gemina spoke, glancing at Sherlock, and then back at the others.

"O-okay…" Fred said, sitting back down. The twins and John sat confused as the female stood, and made eye contact with each of them.

"Sherlock pointed out to me zat eet may be made public… And zat eet would be better eef you all 'eard eet from me, and not from a paper… and of course, I did not tell 'im first… 'e simply guessed zee truth." She rambled.

"Gemina. Just tell them. Right now you're ranting, and that's just confusing them." Sherlock said, cutting her off.

"Right… So, well… zee reason I do not want to go to my fazer's for zis break ees because of 'oo 'e ees." She said. "My fazer ees…" She mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that?" Fred asked.

"We didn't quite hear it." George added.

John looked at the girl, wondering why this was so bad. "Come on Liz… I am sure it's not that bad…" He said, if only he wasn't been so wrong.

Gemina looked up, and met Sherlock's eyes, before looking back down at the floor. She would finally confirm his sucpsions aloud, as she had never done that before. "'E ees Lucius Malfoy…" She said softly, but this time loud enough for the others to hear her. She looked up as the door slammed, and noticed George sitting there bewildered, his twin having stormed out of the room.

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><p>I hope you enjoyed! ^-^ Please review!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Okay, here it is guys. I literally just finished this chapter about ten minutes ago. It was a beast, but I have a final today that I am avoiding studying for... I can't tell you how badly I don't want to do it. So you're in luck, because NEW CHAPTER ON THE RIGHT DAY! Yay for that! I am going to be starting the next chapter soon, and hope to have it up next week. It will be everything from Fred's apology (or will it? Muhahah) to the end of the year. And then from there I should hopefully be back on track to my original chapter plans. Also, this chapter has some filler content, but is really just laying the ground work for some drama that is going to take place in later chapters, so it's a little dramatic.

Disclaimer: Nope... Still do not own these characters... :'( Though Christmas is coming up, so if someone would like to give me them for that, I would like Sherlock and Fred first! :3

Word Count: roughly 5,145 words. Yes, It's long.

Made a few edits, because as I was in a rush to finish this so I didn't have to study, I made some mistakes, and going back and reading them, I was horrified. They are amended now! ^.^ Enjoy! 3

* * *

><p>Christmas at Malfoy Manor was surprisingly not an insane affair. If one discounts Gemina's obnoxious half-brother who was extremely spoiled. He had thrown a fit when he met the girl, insisting to know why he had never been told that <em>he wasn't the heir<em> and that he had a sister. And then there was the affronted look on the Lady Malfoy's face when she found out that Gemina was not a Slytherin.

Lucius had looked ready to strike the boy with his cane, and had lifted said object, most likely to do just that, when Narcissa had placated the boy by telling him that he WAS the rightful heir to the Malfoy line, as he was a male, and that his sister was a bastard child, and the media could not know of her existence. Gemina then had to introduce herself to the brat, and slowly explain that; no, she was not trying to take his title, and yes, she did have an accent, because she came from France. It of course did not help that the amount of magic swirling around Malfoy manor from a mixture of the House Elves, who's magic was a light green color, and a deep grey and black mixture that she was sure came from the dark magic practiced by Lord and Lady Malfoy.

For the most part, the girl spent her time in her room, composing letters to her friends, sending letters to Fred trying to explain, who simply sent them back unopened, and reading the book Sherlock had given her, especially the parts on her Father's family.

On Christmas Eve, she received a letter from George.

_Liz, _

_Fred insists that you stop writing. Why he is being so pigheaded… well, I only have ideas, no concrete reasoning._

_One idea is that he's upset that you waited so long to tell us. It is also possible that as our family and the Malfoys have a history of bad blood he is taking out his frustration over the fact that our parents may no longer approve of our friendship. _

_I am not upset with you. I was mildly miffed that you did not tell us, but then it occurred to me why you did not want us to know. _

_I'm talking to him, and I promise Fred will come around soon enough. _

_Hope your Christmas goes well,_

_George_

Gemina read the letter several times, each time she looked for something else. George didn't hate her. He was trying to convince his brother to see the truth. She wrote back a thank you to George, and went back to her reading.

The next day, she was surprised to have gotten a few gifts from her father, who simply ignored her thanks. The majority of the books were on either history or they were on spells. Things she was sure came from the library of the Manor.

On New Year's Day, shit hit the fan, in the worst possible way.

**An Unknown Bastard within the Prestigious Malfoy Family**

By: Rita Skeeter

_This reporter was shocked this morning when Lucius Malfoy, head of the infamous family, announced that he in fact had a daughter-Gemina Etoile-just two years older than his Son, Draco, who is set to start Hogwarts in two years. _

_The male admitted to being seduced by some woman while he was on a Business trip to France. _

"_My greatest regret is that I am only now getting to meet her. Had I known back then… I would have scooped her up immediately and taken her away from her promiscuous mother. I only wish that the woman has not done too much damage to the sweet girl." Was what Lady Malfoy had to say on the matter. Lord Malfoy did not wish to give a comment. The two admitted that they intend to fight for custody of the young girl, whose family back in France not only refused to give comment for this reporter, but who were going to leave their "precious girl" at Hogwarts over Christmas so they simply did not have to deal with her. _

It was at this point in the article that Gemina swore loudly in French, and stormed from her bedroom to the dining room where the other residents of the Manor were eating their breakfast.

"WHAT EEZ ZIS CRAP?!" She shouted as she entered the room, throwing the article at Lady Malfoy. "Zis 'as you written all over eet, Lady Malfoy. You 'ad no right to tell zee press anyzing. I 'ad no intention to tell ANYONE 'oo my fazzer was. I did not even tell my friends! Sacre bleu! I possibly lost one of my best friends because I told 'im 'oo my fazzer was before zis break, just in case one of you pulled zis crap. I will 'ave you know, I did not want anyone to know. And I most definitely will NOT be coming 'ere full time. You make eet seem like I was raised by monsters! You… You… Merlin! I 'ave never been so vexed een my life!" She exclaimed, her face red, and her accent even thicker than it usually was, and she had to struggle not to slip in to French.

Lady Malfoy sat up straight. "I simply told them the truth. You should not be forced to live with those people any more. They are clearly bad fo-" The woman was cut off by the livid French girl.

"YOU STUPID COW! My family eez more zan suffiecent for raising a child! Zey were much better zan I am sure you are. I will never live 'ere. Eef you try to take me from my family, use all zee money een your big fancy vaults. I will never live 'ere full time. I will run away every day eef I must until zee court realizes zey made a mistake en zinking zat you people would be good guardians. Now, I am leaving. I will take zee floo to 'Ogwarts." She said, and turned and stormed out of the room before any of the Malfoy's could speak. She shuffled her things around and did as she said, flooing back to Hogwarts, and explaining to Professor Flitwick why she was back early. The man nodded, and informed her that he would tell Dumbledore for her.

She had letters to write.

* * *

><p>(JOHN)<p>

John had a great Christmas holiday. His family had wanted to learn all about Hogwarts, so he told them what he could, and spent time with his family. He sent letters to his friends, and the evening of Christmas day was shocked to see Sherlock's owl, Midnight, at his window when he got up.

He let the owl into the room, and gave him a treat, watching as the owl perched on his wardrobe. He obviously was waiting for a response.

_John, _

_I bet you thought I forgot about promising that I would research your wand. Hardly. I never forget. I simply wanted to be one hundred and twenty percent certain that everything was right before I gave you any answers. Here's what I found out, both what the books say, and my deduction on what that could mean for you. _

_Your wand mixture means that you are pure-hearted, and you have an inner strength to you. You may become a protector of sorts later in life, as Rowan is known for its ability to produce very strong shield charms. You most likely will never turn to the Dark Arts, as I have not found a single documented case on a dark wizard, or Dark Lord whom held a Rowan wand. The unicorn hair within your wand is another sign of the purity and goodness of your heart. Your wand will produce a strong consistent magic throughout its use. The wand may not become the most powerful, but it will stick by your side throughout its use if you handle it well. I would suggest polishing it often, and taking good care of it, and not using dark magic, and you should be fine._

_I can only deduct that you are going to go into a field that is known for helping people, and that you will stand for what is right, as your wand does not stand for injustice, and I would imagine, neither do you, nor will you. However, I do not believe that you will ever become a Politician. You will find other ways to change humanity, and help people. But then, when do Politicians ever actually help humanity in a positive way? Anyway, I shall leave you to think about the knowledge I have given you._

_Sherlock_

John nodded as he read the letter, and grabbed a piece of parchment that he had yet to use for homework, and scribbled down a note thanking Sherlock, and giving it to Midnight, who nipped John's fingers in what he assumed was a show of affection, though he never could tell with owls…

The male sat down and thought about what he had read. He reflected on it up until it was time for him to go to bed.

That night, the male dreamt about Unicorns and Phoenixes, running through forests, and making friends with a beautiful creature that wasn't quite human, but did not seem to be anything else.

The evening of New Year's Day, as the male was preparing to return to Hogwarts the next day, he received a letter from an owl who dropped the envelope off, and took off once more, not staying for anything. John looked at the letter curiously, recognizing the neat, even cursive scrawl of Gemina's.

_John, _

_I know you have probably not seen the Daily Prophet from today, but as you will be returning to school tomorrow, and hearing things, I wanted to let you know. _

_I was NOT raised by monsters, savages, or anything of the like. _

_I will NOT succumb to the darkness of the Malfoy line._

_And I most certainly will NOT be returning to my father's home any time soon. I was wondering if it would be possible, if the need were to arise, for me to potentially stay with you sometimes over the summer holiday. _

_I swore that I would not return to Malfoy Manor for any extended period of time, and do not wish to live there in the summers. The Malfoy's wish to employ a custody battle within the Ministry to take me from my family, and I swore to those vile people that if they succeeded I would run away, and if returned to their home, I would run away again and again until it became apparent to the Ministry that they are making a grave decision. _

_If not, I completely understand. Either way, please let me know after everyone has returned to school. _

_Gemina_

John blinked as he reread the letter. Things were about to get very interesting. He couldn't help but wonder how the others would respond to all of this.

* * *

><p>(SHERLOCK)<p>

Sherlock, true to his word, had been researching bezoars over his holiday. He had also corresponded some with his friends, but otherwise, had stayed withdrawn.

His brother, who had finally managed to find an apartment to move into and therefore out of their parent's house, had taken to dropping in when he wasn't working to harass his brother.

It was his favorite past-time, seeing how much he could bug Sherlock before the younger boy would break and snap at his brother. This winter, however, Sherlock had been less irritable, between his research, and hearing from friends, something Mycroft had teased him relentlessly about, since he could hardly believe his brother had made any.

Sherlock had made a rare appearance for most of the day on Christmas, since he was sure that his parents would have been quite disappointed if he had not.

It was easy enough, ignoring his brother, and accepting the gifts from his parents. After their dinner, he was able to retreat back into his room, and send the letter he had composed that morning to John.

He watched as Midnight took off, ignoring his brother, who had apparently decided to enter his room, without knocking, and silently observe, instead of returning to his flat in London.

"Who did you send that letter to, brother? Off to one of your imaginary friends?" He asked.

Oh yes, Sherlock could imagine Mycroft clearly. His hair combed neatly, leaning against the doorway, possessing an arrogance that just boasted that he had finished his education top of his class, and was quite possibly the most intelligent person you could ever have the _honour_ to meet. Sherlock could see the scowl on his face without turning around. Not his usual scowl that was brought on by his boredom being in the presence of _normal _people. Oh no. This scowl would be one that was not often seen, and was reserved for the most aggravating of puzzles. Such as the one Sherlock was presenting. His brother had given nothing other than first names of people from school, and Sherlock had made sure that he did not put too much affliction in his voice one way or another, so Mycroft had no way of knowing who may or may not be these friends his brother had supposedly made. That little crack in Mycroft's demeanor was one thing Sherlock loved to see. For it meant he managed to get one over on his brother, and in one way, proved he was not as stupid as his brother made him believe.

"Hmmm, that's a good question. Do owls fly to imaginary people Brother?" Sherlock asked, standing, and walking to his desk, deliberately not looking at his brother. He rifled through a stack of books, glad he had locked the letters he had exchanged with Gemina, and the one or two he had received from John, in his desk. It wouldn't do for his fun to be ruined so early in the game. "I would imagine not. Unless, of course, Midnight is simply making me feel better by leaving with the letters, and depositing them in some far corner of the country, and returning empty handed, in an effort to aid his master in his delusions."

Sherlock picked up a book on the magical history of France that he had found in the small library his family kept. He had been looking at what it said about Veela. And then there was of course, the book that Gemina had given him, which he kept wrapped up in a scrap of fabric, hidden in the bottom of his trunk, so that no one would accidentally find it. It was hardly a book he wanted others to see.

Turning he spoke once more. "Then again, that would hardly explain the responses that Midnight sometimes brings to me. Unless you are saying that the bird has somehow managed to master the English language, and writes the letters himself?"

"I wouldn't be able to tell Brother, without seeing one of these alleged responses." Was the reply Mycroft gave, as his eyes wandered over the book in his brother's hands. "What interest could you possibly have in France? It's hardly as if you are attending school there."

"Knowledge for the sake of knowledge brother. Some may argue it's a Slytherin trait. Plus, who knows when I may find myself in France. It would be good to know some of their history, no?"

"Knowledge for the sake of knowledge? That sounds more Ravenclaw-" He spat the word out in something akin to a mixture of disgust and slight respect, if such a thing were possible. "-than Slytherin. From what I know of your house, the knowledge you look to gain has something from whatever it is you're reading." Mycroft said, shifting from his position leaning against the door jamb, to standing upright, as though he may be able to intimidate his brother.

Sherlock looked at him, slightly amused. "Read that in a book brother? I know you didn't ask someone, and what could you possibly know of house dynamics in Hogwarts, having attended Durmstrang? I mean, Hogwarts didn't want you. So you would never ask a student there about the houses." He said, which caused Mycroft to narrow his eyes, and purse his lips.

It was a secret within the family, and a touchy subject for his brother. Unlike Sherlock, who had somehow been accepted to the three most prestigious wizarding schools in Europe, Mycroft had not been accepted into Hogwarts, and in that was the truth, that he had no other choice but to attend Durmstrang. The male liked to play it off, as though he had gotten in. But Sherlock knew that in him receiving letters of acceptance from all three schools, he had really stuck a chord in his brother that would only negatively affect their relationship in the long run.

Mycroft glared at his younger brother, and turned and left the room, choosing not to respond to the sting.

Sherlock shut his door softly behind his brother, feeling smug at the fact that he had broken through his brother's arrogant exterior.

He sat down to read for a while, until he heard Midnight swoop back through his window. He looked up as his dark eagle owl landed on his bed post. He put his book down, and went over to his bird, petting his head, and taking the response from John. The bird nuzzled into Sherlock's hair, before taking off, and swooping to his perch in the corner of the male's room, and shuffling around in his nest, before putting his head under his wing and going to sleep.

Sherlock smirked at the bird, and then opened the note from John.

_Sherlock,_

_Thank you for putting so much effort into your writing. I appreciate how much thought you put into my wand. I am going to think very hard on what you said, and what it may mean. I had actually thought you may have forgotten, but I wasn't going to bother you about it, as I know you're busy with all your work._

_John_

The male laughed at the comment about his work, and set it in the drawer of his desk, before he stood and stretched. Glancing at the clock on his wall, he noticed that it was getting pretty late. He decided to head to bed, knowing he had another week to read for fun before he went back to school.

The afternoon of New Year's Day rolled around, and Sherlock was straightening things up in his room when a tawny barn owl soared through the window he had left open for Midnight. The male went over to the bird, and took the letter addressed to him in Gemina's familiar scrawl.

Sherlock watched the bird fly out of the window curiously. That had not been the girl's bird, whom had been into his room quite often, but one of the Hogwarts owls.

The boy opened the letter, and scanned the first letter curiously, before dropping it, and heading out of his room, down to the kitchen.

"Mother, where is today's Prophet?" He asked, before spotting it on the table. "Never mind." He muttered picking up the paper, and reading the article on his friend, a scowl forming on his face the longer he read. Sherlock let out a short growl, and dropped the paper back on the table in disgust before going back upstairs and picking back up the letter he had received from his friend.

_Sherlock,_

_By now, I am sure you have seen today's _Daily Prophet, _and if not, I suggest going to take a look at it. I am sure you will be as vexed about it as I am. _

_How dare they think that they can get away with this? Belittling my _family _the people who _raised_ me, even when those vile Malfoy's wanted nothing to do with me! And more than that, insisting that they are going to take custody of _**ME**_! How dare they? I simply refuse to believe this. I have written my mother, and then you, John, and the twins. I will not allow for them to get away with this. _

_Imagine! The legal issues this is going to cause! I mean… Merlin! Trying to take a _French _citizen and tear them away from their culture, and out of their home land for their own petty reasons. And seriously! That man wanted nothing to do with me until my mother wrote him informing him I would be attending Hogwarts, and demanding he pay half of the cost for robes, books and supplies. _

_Then that man had the GALL to refuse my mother, saying that since I was not legitimately his, he had nothing to do with me. And THEN he begins to write to me. THEN he pulls something like this. _

_And of course, despite the legal issues, he has the whole of the ministry in his pocket. Cornelius Fudge is most likely top on his pay roll. All of the British government will support him, as my mother is a "magical creature" and your government can hardly stand to see them have children in their custody. _

_I doubt the French government will stand for this. But they will not have as much of a pull. Not to mention the _Malfoy's _will probably just pay anyone who dissents within the French Government off. _

_What do I do, Sherlock? I told them I will find a way to run away everyday if they go through with this, but you know how this family operates better than I. There must be something I can do. They CANNOT win. I won't allow it. I won't be taken from my family. _

_Eagerly awaiting your response,_

_Gemina_

_P.S.: I have left Malfoy Manor, and returned to Hogwarts a day early._

Sherlock reread the letter a few times, and each time sat there, slightly more disgusted than the last. His mind immediately went to work, pulling up anything and everything he might know about politics and/or the Malfoy family.

He pulled out a piece of parchment, and began to write.

_Gemina, _

_This is a horrendous situation you seem to have found yourself in. You're right on many counts. The Malfoy family name is one of the most powerful in all of Britain. It's also one most closely associated with Dark Magics, and that's how you're going to go about this. That book I gave you. _Use it. _Trust me. Any of the multiple secrets in there could be very helpful to your cause._

_Also, write to the British Ministry as well as the French. There is a man within the Auror department who absolutely despises Dark Magic, and whom I believe could be most helpful. His name is Rufus Scrimgeour. _

_I believe if you write to him, and spin your story as a young girl, scared of her new "family", of those who want to tear you from your true home—and extra sympathy may be gotten if you can spin Dark Magic use in there somewhere—and request that he put you in touch with someone not in the lap of the Malfoy family, you may have a chance. _

_Remember to use the book._

_Sherlock._

The boy read over his letter three times, and then whistled lowly, summoning Midnight from his perch, where he had returned several moments before.

"Hey boy. I need you to take this letter to Gemina. She's at Hogwarts. As fast as you can, okay? You don't need to return afterwards, as I will be returning to school tomorrow, just find a place in the owlry to rest." He told the bird, tying the letter to his ankle, and petting the owl softly for a moment before allowing him to soar out the open window.

The rest of this year was about to become very interesting.

* * *

><p>(THE TWINS)<p>

Christmas at the Burrow was always a hectic affair. With seven children, it was expected. The twins of course had to make everything a little more hectic for the family, playing jokes on them all. At night, after everyone had gone to bed, and the twins were safe in their room, they would begin to bicker.

This wasn't something that happened every year however. This was unique to this year.

"Freddie. You're being unreasonable. She wasn't trying to lie to us."

"Bull. Why else would she not have told us?"

"Well, maybe because she didn't want to risk losing friends, like she is now because you're being so pigheaded?"

The argument would follow the same lines every night, with each of them giving a slightly different reasoning each time, until one of them would get sick of bickering and announce they were going to bed.

George made it a point to keep in touch with Gemina, and tell her he was working on getting his brother to come round. He wasn't having much luck however, as his brother insisted on being pigheaded.

Christmas day came and went without much fuss, and the two managed not to argue that whole day and night, enjoying the company of their eldest brother, Bill, who had been so busy proving himself worthy of the job he had gotten-and was going to be transferred to Egypt after the New Year for all his efforts- that he had not been able to owl his siblings much. Charlie had shown them a little more attention, but was also busy with Quidditch, leaving the only male who had time for the twins in the school Percy, who was always a pain, working hard to be advanced. He wanted to become a prefect and then Head Boy himself when he finally reached his last year, even though he was only in his third that year.

When New Year's Day came, the argument between the twins finally came to a head, as they blew up at each other in front of their family at lunch, after a letter from a school owl arrived for the two.

"WOULD YOU JUST READ THE DAMNED LETTER?" George shouted, finally growing annoyed at his brother's whispered refusal to look at the letter.

"George!" Mrs. Weasley shouted, looking affronted at her son's outburst.

"I apologize mum. But your son is being a prat. For Merlin's sake Fred, read the letter. She's been trying to explain things to you all break, but you're too pigheaded to bother listening. And after that article this morning, I would imagine you would owe her that at least!" George insisted, slamming the letter addressed to the two of them on the table.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked at the twins. They never spoke to each other like this, and it seemed to be disturbing everyone.

"Why should I listen? She should have told us from the get-go who her father was. Don't you think we had a right to know? SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE OUR FRIEND, GEORGE!"

"Acting how you're acting right now Fred, I think she was right not to say anything. She made it clear from day one that her father wasn't present in her life. That he had wanted nothing to do with her for the first ten and a half years she was alive. You have no right to be prancing around acting all self-righteously pissed off because she didn't tell us something that should have no impact on how we treat her. Sure, our families are known to not get along, and there's some bad blood, but she wasn't raised one of them Fred. She's her own person, and don't you dare tell me that you think anything has changed. You saw that article too. Can't you imagine that she's going through a hard time right now, and may want her friends? How about, instead of being a pig-headed prat, you man up, and act like the friend she needs? You remember that rose we gave her? It was YOUR idea to have the two colors. You told her that we appreciated her friendship, and that it meant so much, and then turned around and spit in her face when she needed you the most. Right now, you're the one in the wrong, and I can guarantee that John and Sherlock also think so.

"Grow up. Read the damn letter, and then, when we get back to school tomorrow, apologize for being such an arse, and hope that Gem is a better person than you and willing to forgive you for being such a prick. Sorry about my language, mum." George added, before he stood up, and left the room, grabbing his coat, going outside to walk around and blow off some steam.

Fred sat there red-faced for a moment, before picking up the letter, and leaving the room as well, going up to the twin's room.

The family sat in stunned silence for several moments, unsure of what to say in the face of the row that the normally light hearted twins had just had.

Up in the twin's room, Fred sat staring at the letter, barely reading the words. All he could hear in his head was his brother yelling at him. Over and over he heard the words his brother had spoken. He didn't get it. He felt that he should be upset. Their friend had kept such a huge secret from them for months, and he couldn't be upset about that?

Fred sighed, and focused his vision, deciding to read the letter.

_George, and hopefully Fred,_

_After the article that was just published in the Daily Prophet today, I am sure you guys are confused. Just know that I never wanted everyone to find out like that. That's why I told you the way I did. _

_I know that Fred is angry with me, and I understand why. But it upsets me that he won't speak with me about this. _

_I told the Malfoy's I refuse to live with them, and their way of going about getting me to live there full time was unacceptable. I returned to Hogwarts a day early so that I did not have to be in the same house as them, as I could not stand to look at them, without feeling irrationally angry. _

_I hope to see the both of you soon enough,_

_Gemina_

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><p><em>Review please3 Thanks<em>

_~Tess_

_P.S.: The test went decently well, and it was the last of my finals. Now I have a month to write and work on this story! :-D My goal is to get ahead in the writing once more, as I will be quite busy come next semester. _


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